Duchesne County discusses Policy 631 automatic-enrollment proposal; commissioners favor opt-in/opt-out option

Human Resource Director Judy Stevenson presented Policy 631, which would establish automatic enrollment and escalation in the URS Roth 457(b) retirement plan, and reviewed the URS disclosure form with the Duchesne County Commission on June 29.

Stevenson and Deputy Attorney Grant Charles discussed legal and practical implications. Commissioners expressed concern about forcing participation. Stevenson said staff had worked with Deputy Attorney Charles on the policy and discussed how it would operate. Commissioner Tracy Killian and others emphasized that participation should be voluntary: as Stevenson put it during discussion, "no one should be forced into anything; they should be given the choice to decide for themselves." The commissioners agreed that the employee should have the option to enroll or opt out; the group instructed staff to revise the policy language and disclosure accordingly.

Why it matters: changes to automatic-enrollment protocols affect employees’ take-home pay, retirement-savings behavior and administrative workload for payroll and benefits staff. The committee discussed consent, opt-out mechanics and the legal framing with county counsel.

The county’s Human Resources office will return with revised policy language and the updated URS disclosure form for further action. During the HR portion of the meeting Stevenson also outlined open positions (Correctional Officer, Deputy Recorder, Event Center Operations Coordinator, Jail Control Room Operator) and proposed ride-alongs for two Building Inspector candidates; she reported a request from the Library Director to post the county dress code in libraries, which Deputy Attorney Charles cautioned could present enforcement challenges.

Formal action on Policy 631 was not recorded during this meeting; the record shows direction to revise the policy and disclosure form for future consideration.