Brian Head to pick up 5.98% retirement contribution for certain public safety Tier II employees

The Brian Head Town Council on June 9 adopted Resolution 26-575 to pick up the 5.98% employee contribution for participants in the Public Safety Tier II retirement system, effective July 1, 2026.

Shane Williamson, the town’s administrative services director and treasurer, presented the resolution and explained the background of Utah’s tiered public safety retirement systems. Chief Dan Benson described the practical impact on employees hired during the transitional Tier II period after 2012, noting that those hires were placed into a reduced formula that made recruitment and retention difficult. Benson said the Legislature later revised Tier II for most hires to a “25-50” structure (50 percent at 25 years), but that employees hired during the brief transitional window remain in a lower 37.5 percent tier and, under current rules, cannot be moved into the improved tier by rehiring. Benson characterized the town’s action to pick up the 5.98 percent contribution as “a meaningful way to partially offset the benefit disparity these employees face and to demonstrate the Town’s commitment to retaining its public safety staff.”

The resolution explicitly references subsection 49-23-301(2) as enacted in SB 56 (Public Safety and Firefighting Tier 2 Retirement Enhancements, 2020 General Session) and directs the town to formally pick up the employee contribution required under that provision for covered employees. Council Member Tidwell moved to adopt Resolution 26-575; Council Member Cruz seconded, and the motion carried 4-0.

What happens next: the pick-up takes effect July 1, 2026. Chief Benson said he hopes the Legislature will ultimately equalize Tier II benefits for affected employees, but that progress at the state level has been slow. The resolution is recorded as a formal benefit pick-up under state law for the town’s applicable public safety employees.