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First Substitute S.B. 78


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House Committee Amendments 2-21-2008 dd/rhr
This document includes House Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 1:56 PM by ddonat. -->
Senator Wayne L. Niederhauser proposes the following substitute bill:


             1     
COUNTY PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT ACT

             2     
AMENDMENTS

             3     
2008 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Chief Sponsor: Wayne L. Niederhauser

             6     
House Sponsor: Gregory H. Hughes

             7     

             8      LONG TITLE
             9      General Description:
             10          This bill modifies provisions of the County Personnel Management Act.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    adds an exception to tenured positions included within the career service system for
             14      persons appointed by an elected county officer to H. be division directors, to .H administer
             14a      division functions in
             15      furtherance of the performance of the elected officer's professional duties;
             16          .    clarifies that a person currently serving in a nonexempt position does not lose that
             17      status because of the enactment of the provision adding an exception;
             18          .    requires elected county officers to work with the office of personnel management to
             19      develop incentives to encourage certain nonexempt employees to convert
             20      voluntarily to exempt status;
             21          .    authorizes county legislative bodies to recommend personnel rules for the county;
             22      and
             23          .    makes technical changes.
             24      Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
             25          None



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             26
     Other Special Clauses:
             27          This bill coordinates with H.B. 235, County Merit System Amendments, by providing
             28      which technical amendments supersede and by substantively and technically merging
             29      the amendments contained in H.B. 235 with the amendments contained in this bill.
             30      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             31      AMENDS:
             32          17-33-1, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2002, Chapter 83
             33          17-33-5, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2006, Chapter 255
             34          17-33-8, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2007, Chapter 211
             35     

             36      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             37          Section 1. Section 17-33-1 is amended to read:
             38           17-33-1. Title -- Establishment of merit system -- Separate systems for peace
             39      officers and firemen recognized -- Options of small counties.
             40          (1) This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "County Personnel
             41      Management Act."
             42          (2) A merit system of personnel administration for the counties of the state of Utah,
             43      their departments, offices, and agencies, except as otherwise specifically provided, is
             44      established.
             45          (3) This chapter recognizes the existence of the merit systems for peace officers of the
             46      several counties as provided for in Chapter 30, Deputy Sheriffs - Merit System, and for firemen
             47      of the several counties as provided for in Chapter 28, Firemen's Civil Service Commission, and
             48      is intended to give county commissions the option of using the provisions of this chapter as a
             49      single merit system for all county employees or in combination with these existing systems for
             50      firemen and peace officers.
             51          (4) On or after May 6, 2002, any county that has fewer than 200 employees not covered
             52      by other merit systems or not exempt under Subsections 17-33-8 (1)(b)(i) through [(6)] (vii)
             53      may, at its option, comply with the provisions of this chapter.
             54          (5) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection (4), any county which was in
             55      compliance with the provisions of this chapter prior to May 6, 2002, shall continue to comply
             56      with the provisions of this chapter even though the county may not thereafter meet or exceed



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             57
     the threshold requirements of Subsection (4).
             58          Section 2. Section 17-33-5 is amended to read:
             59           17-33-5. Office of personnel management -- Director -- Appointment and
             60      responsibilities -- Personnel rules.
             61          (1) (a) (i) Each county executive shall:
             62          (A) create an office of personnel management, administered by a director of personnel
             63      management; and
             64          (B) ensure that the director is a person with proven experience in personnel
             65      management.
             66          (ii) Except as provided in Subsection (1)(b), the position of director of personnel
             67      management shall be:
             68          (A) a merit position; and
             69          (B) filled as provided in Subsection (1) (a)(iii).
             70          (iii) Except as provided in Subsection (1)(b), the career service council shall:
             71          (A) advertise and recruit for the director position in the same manner as for merit
             72      positions;
             73          (B) select three names from a register; and
             74          (C) submit those names as recommendations to the county legislative body.
             75          (iv) Except as provided in Subsection (1)(b), the county legislative body shall select a
             76      person to serve as director of the office of personnel management from the names submitted to
             77      it by the career service council.
             78          (b) (i) Effective for appointments made after May 1, 2006, and as an alternative to the
             79      procedure under Subsections (1)(a)(ii), (iii), and (iv) and at the county executive's discretion,
             80      the county executive may appoint a director of personnel management with the advice and
             81      consent of the county legislative body.
             82          (ii) The position of each director of personnel management appointed under this
             83      Subsection (1)(b) shall be a merit exempt position.
             84          (iii) A director of personnel management appointed under this Subsection (1)(b) may
             85      be terminated by the county executive with the consent of the county legislative body.
             86          (2) The director of personnel management shall:
             87          (a) encourage and exercise leadership in the development of expertise in personnel



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             88
     administration within the several departments, offices, and agencies in the county service and
             89      make available the facilities of the office of personnel management to this end;
             90          (b) advise the county legislative and executive bodies on the use of human resources;
             91          (c) develop and implement programs for the improvement of employee effectiveness,
             92      such as training, safety, health, counseling, and welfare;
             93          (d) investigate periodically the operation and effect of this law and of the policies made
             94      under it and report findings and recommendations to the county legislative body;
             95          (e) establish and maintain records of all employees in the county service, setting forth
             96      as to each employee class, title, pay or status, and other relevant data;
             97          (f) make an annual report to the county legislative body and county executive regarding
             98      the work of the department; and
             99          (g) apply and carry out this law and the policies under it and perform any other lawful
             100      acts that are necessary to carry out the provisions of this law.
             101          (3) (a) (i) The director shall recommend personnel rules for the county.
             102          (ii) The county legislative body may:
             103          (A) recommend personnel rules for the county; and
             104          (B) approve, amend, or reject [those] personnel rules before they are adopted.
             105          (b) The rules shall provide for:
             106          (i) recruiting efforts to be planned and carried out in a manner that assures open
             107      competition, with special emphasis to be placed on recruiting efforts to attract minorities,
             108      women, persons with a disability as defined by and covered under the Americans with
             109      Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. 12102, or other groups that are substantially
             110      underrepresented in the county work force to help assure they will be among the candidates
             111      from whom appointments are made;
             112          (ii) the establishment of job related minimum requirements wherever practical, that all
             113      successful candidates shall be required to meet in order to be eligible for consideration for
             114      appointment or promotion;
             115          (iii) selection procedures that include consideration of the relative merit of each
             116      applicant for employment, a job related method of determining the eligibility or ineligibility of
             117      each applicant, and a valid, reliable, and objective system of ranking eligible applicants
             118      according to their qualifications and merit;



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             119
         (iv) certification procedures that insure equitable consideration of an appropriate
             120      number of the most qualified eligible applicants based on the ranking system;
             121          (v) appointments to positions in the career service by selection from the most qualified
             122      eligible applicants certified on eligible lists established in accordance with Subsections
             123      (3)(b)(iii) and (iv);
             124          (vi) noncompetitive appointments in the occasional instance where there is evidence
             125      that open or limited competition is not practical, such as for unskilled positions that have no
             126      minimum job requirements;
             127          (vii) limitation of competitions at the discretion of the director for appropriate positions
             128      to facilitate employment of qualified applicants with a substantial physical or mental
             129      impairment, or other groups protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act;
             130          (viii) permanent appointment for entry to the career service that shall be contingent
             131      upon satisfactory performance by the employee during a period of six months, with the
             132      probationary period extendable for a period not to exceed six months for good cause, but with
             133      the condition that the probationary employee may appeal directly to the council any undue
             134      prolongation of the period designed to thwart merit principles;
             135          (ix) temporary, provisional, or other noncareer service appointments, which may not be
             136      used as a way of defeating the purpose of the career service and may not exceed 90 days, with
             137      the period extendable for a period not to exceed an additional 90 days for good cause;
             138          (x) lists of eligible applicants normally to be used, if available, for filling temporary
             139      positions, and short term emergency appointments to be made without regard to the other
             140      provisions of law to provide for maintenance of essential services in an emergency situation
             141      where normal procedures are not practical, these emergency appointments not to exceed 90
             142      days, with that period extendable for a period not to exceed an additional 90 days for good
             143      cause;
             144          (xi) promotion and career ladder advancement of employees to higher level positions
             145      and assurance that all persons promoted are qualified for the position;
             146          (xii) recognition of the equivalency of other merit processes by waiving, at the
             147      discretion of the director, the open competitive examination for placement in the career service
             148      positions of those who were originally selected through a competitive examination process in
             149      another governmental entity, the individual in those cases, to serve a probationary period;



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             150
         (xiii) preparation, maintenance, and revision of a position classification plan for all
             151      positions in the career service, based upon similarity of duties performed and responsibilities
             152      assumed, so that the same qualifications may reasonably be required for, and the same schedule
             153      of pay may be equitably applied to, all positions in the same class, the compensation plan, in
             154      order to maintain a high quality public work force, to take into account the responsibility and
             155      difficulty of the work, the comparative pay and benefits needed to compete in the labor market
             156      and to stay in proper alignment with other similar governmental units, and other factors;
             157          (xiv) keeping records of performance on all employees in the career service and
             158      requiring consideration of performance records in determining salary increases, any benefits for
             159      meritorious service, promotions, the order of layoffs and reinstatements, demotions, discharges,
             160      and transfers;
             161          (xv) establishment of a plan governing layoffs resulting from lack of funds or work,
             162      abolition of positions, or material changes in duties or organization, and governing
             163      reemployment of persons so laid off, taking into account with regard to layoffs and
             164      reemployment the relative ability, seniority, and merit of each employee;
             165          (xvi) establishment of a plan for resolving employee grievances and complaints with
             166      final and binding decisions;
             167          (xvii) establishment of disciplinary measures such as suspension, demotion in rank or
             168      grade, or discharge, measures to provide for presentation of charges, hearing rights, and appeals
             169      for all permanent employees in the career service to the career service council;
             170          (xviii) establishment of a procedure for employee development and improvement of
             171      poor performance;
             172          (xix) establishment of hours of work, holidays, and attendance requirements in various
             173      classes of positions in the career service;
             174          (xx) establishment and publicizing of fringe benefits such as insurance, retirement, and
             175      leave programs; and
             176          (xxi) any other requirements not inconsistent with this law that are proper for its
             177      enforcement.
             178          Section 3. Section 17-33-8 is amended to read:
             179           17-33-8. Career service -- Exempt positions.
             180          (1) The career service [shall be]:



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House Committee Amendments 2-21-2008 dd/rhr
             181
         (a) is a permanent service to which this [law shall apply] chapter applies; and [shall
             182      comprise]
             183          (b) comprises all tenured county positions in the public service [now existing or
             184      hereafter established], except [the following]:
             185          [(1) The] (i) subject to Subsection (2):
             186          (A) the county executive, members of the county legislative body, and other elected
             187      officials[,]; and
             188          (B) each major department [heads] head charged directly by the county legislative
             189      body, or by a board appointed by the county legislative body, with the responsibility of
             190      assisting [in the formulation and carrying] to formulate and carry out [of] policy matters [of
             191      policy; and if it is sought that any position which differs from its present status be exempted or
             192      tenured after the effective date of this act, a public hearing on the proposed exemption or tenure
             193      shall be held upon due notice and the concurrence of the council.];
             194          [(2) One] (ii) one confidential secretary for each elected county officer and major
             195      department head, if [one] a confidential secretary is assigned[.];
             196          [(3) An] (iii) an administrative assistant to the county executive, each member of the
             197      county legislative body, and [to] each elected official, if [one] an administrative assistant is
             198      assigned[.];
             199          [(4) The] (iv) the duly appointed chief deputy of any elected county officer who
             200      [would take] takes over and [discharge] discharges the duties of the elected county officer in
             201      the absence or disability of the [originally responsible] elected county officer[.];
             202          (v) subject to Subsection (3), a person who is:
             203          (A) appointed by an elected county officer H. to be a division director, .H to
             203a      administer division functions in
             204      furtherance of the performance of the elected officer's professional duties;
             205          (B) in a confidential relationship with the elected county officer; and
             206          (C) not in a law enforcement rank position of captain or below;
             207          [(5) Persons] (vi) a person employed to make or conduct a temporary and special
             208      inquiry, investigation, or examination on behalf of the county legislative body or one of its
             209      committees[.];
             210          [(6) Noncareer employees] (vii) a noncareer employee:
             211          (A) compensated for [their] the employee's services on a seasonal or contractual basis



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             212
     [who are]; and
             213          (B) hired on emergency or seasonal appointment basis, as approved by the council[,
             214      and];
             215          (viii) a provisional [employees] employee, as defined by the county's policies and
             216      procedures or its rules and regulations[.];
             217          [(7) Part-time employees] (ix) a part-time employee, as defined by the county's
             218      policies and procedures or its rules and regulations[.];
             219          [(8) Employees] (x) an employee appointed to perform:
             220          [(a)] (A) work that does not exceed three years in duration; or
             221          [(b)] (B) work with limited funding[.]; and
             222          [(9) Positions which] (xi) a position that, by [their] its confidential or key
             223      policy-determining nature [-- confidential or key policy-determining or both --], cannot or
             224      should not be appropriately included in the career service. [All positions]
             225          (2) Before a position under Subsection (1)(b)(i) may be changed from its current status
             226      to exempt or tenured, the career service council shall, after giving due notice, hold a public
             227      hearing on the proposed change of status.
             228          (3) (a) Subsection (1)(b)(v) may not be construed to cause a person serving as a
             229      nonexempt employee on May 5, 2008 in a position described in that subsection from losing the
             230      nonexempt status.
             231          (b) The elected county officer in a supervisory position over an employee described in
             232      Subsection (3)(a) shall work with the county's office of personnel management to develop
             233      financial and other incentives to encourage a nonexempt employee to convert voluntarily to
             234      exempt status.
             235          (4) (a) Each position designated as being exempt under [this] Subsection (1)(b)(xi)
             236      shall be listed in the rules and regulations promulgated under this [act] chapter by:
             237          (i) job title; and
             238          (ii) department, office, or agency[, and any].
             239          (b) A change in exempt status [shall constitute] of a position designated as being
             240      exempt under Subsection (1)(b)(xi) constitutes an amendment to the rules and regulations
             241      promulgated under this chapter.
             242          Section 4. Coordinating S.B. 78 with H.B. 235 -- Technically superseding



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             243
     amendments -- Substantively and technically merging the amendments.
             244          If this S.B. 78 and H.B. 235, County Merit System Amendments, both pass, it is the
             245      intent of the Legislature that when the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel
             246      prepares the Utah Code database for publication:
             247          (1) the amendments to Section 17-33-1 in this bill supersede the amendments to
             248      Section 17-33-1 in H.B. 235; and
             249          (2) the amendments in this bill to Section 17-33-8 be merged with the amendments in
             250      H.B. 235 so that Section 17-33-8 reads:
             251           "17-33-8. Career service -- Exempt positions.
             252          (1) The career service [shall be]:
             253          (a) is a permanent service to which this [law shall apply and shall comprise] chapter
             254      applies; and
             255          (b) comprises all tenured county positions in the public service [now existing or
             256      hereafter established], except [the following]:
             257          (i) subject to Subsection (2):
             258          [(1) The] (A) the county executive, members of the county legislative body, and other
             259      elected officials[, and]; and
             260          (B) each major department [heads] head charged directly by the county legislative
             261      body, or by a board appointed by the county legislative body, with the responsibility of
             262      assisting [in the formulation and carrying out of matters of policy; and if it is sought that any
             263      position which differs from its present status be exempted or tenured after the effective date of
             264      this act, a public hearing on the proposed exemption or tenure shall be held upon due notice
             265      and the concurrence of the council.] to formulate and carry out policy matters;
             266          [(2) One] (ii) one confidential secretary for each elected county officer and major
             267      department head, if [one] a confidential secretary is assigned[.];
             268          [(3) An] (iii) an administrative assistant to the county executive, each member of the
             269      county legislative body, and [to] each elected official, if [one] an administrative assistant is
             270      assigned[.];
             271          [(4) The] (iv) each duly appointed chief deputy of any elected county officer who
             272      [would take] takes over and [discharge] discharges the duties of the elected county officer in
             273      the absence or disability of the [originally responsible] elected county officer[.];



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House Committee Amendments 2-21-2008 dd/rhr
             274
         (v) subject to Subsection (3), a person who is:
             275          (A) appointed by an elected county officer H. to be a division director, .H to
             275a      administer division functions in
             276      furtherance of the performance of the elected officer's professional duties;
             277          (B) in a confidential relationship with the elected county officer; and
             278          (C) not in a law enforcement rank position of captain or below;
             279          [(5) Persons] (vi) each person employed to make or conduct a temporary and special
             280      inquiry, investigation, or examination on behalf of the county legislative body or one of its
             281      committees[.];
             282          [(6) Noncareer employees] (vii) each noncareer employee:
             283          (A) compensated for [their] the employee's services on a seasonal or contractual basis
             284      [who are]; and
             285          (B) hired on emergency or seasonal appointment basis, as approved by the council[,
             286      and]; and
             287          (viii) each provisional [employees] employee, as defined by the county's policies and
             288      procedures or its rules and regulations[.];
             289          [(7) Part-time employees] (ix) each part-time employee, as defined by the county's
             290      policies and procedures or its rules and regulations[.];
             291          [(8) Employees] (x) each employee appointed to perform:
             292          [(a)] (A) work that does not exceed three years in duration; or
             293          [(b)] (B) work with limited funding[.]; and
             294          [(9) Positions which by their nature --]
             295          (xi) each position that, by its confidential or key policy-determining [or both --] nature,
             296      cannot or should not be appropriately included in the career service. [All positions designated
             297      as being exempt under this Subsection shall be listed in the rules]
             298          (2) Before a position under Subsection (1)(b)(i) may be changed from its current status
             299      to exempt or tenured, the career service council shall, after giving due notice, hold a public
             300      hearing on the proposed change of status.
             301          (3) (a) Subsection (1)(b)(v) may not be construed to cause a person serving as a
             302      nonexempt employee on May 5, 2008 in a position described in that subsection to lose the
             303      nonexempt status.
             304          (b) The elected county officer in a supervisory position over an employee described in



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             305
     Subsection (3)(a) shall work with the county's office of personnel management to develop
             306      financial and other incentives to encourage a nonexempt employee to convert voluntarily to
             307      exempt status.
             308          (4) (a) Rules and regulations promulgated under this [act] chapter shall list by job title
             309      and department, office or agency, [and any] each position designated as exempt under
             310      Subsection (1)(b)(xi).
             311          (b) A change in exempt status [shall constitute] of a position designated as being
             312      exempt under Subsection (1)(b)(xi) constitutes an amendment to the rules and regulations
             313      promulgated under this chapter."


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