During Tuesday night’s public hearing on the commissioners’ salary adjustment, and subsequent social media chatter, several county residents have referred to Tooele County Commissioner Myron Bateman as “double dipping.”
It is a practice authorized by state law that allows public employees to collect retirement benefits from previous public employment after returning to public employment.
However, the Utah Retirement System nixed Bateman’s plan to collect a retirement check and a paycheck at the same time.
Prior to jumping into the race for county commission in 2014, Bateman said he consulted with a URS representative about his retirement benefits.
At the time, Bateman was the director of the Tooele County Health Department.
Bateman said he was told he could retire from the health department and collect his URS funded retirement pay while getting paid to work as county commissioner.
The retire and go-back-to-work-strategy would have not only meant he would get two checks, it would also have saved the county around $10,000 annually, according to Bateman.
Also, as a post-retirement employee, Bateman would not be eligible to collect any benefits beyond his salary.
The county would not have to pay for any medical, dental, leave, or retirement related benefits for Bateman if he was re-employed after retirement, according to URS re-employment guidelines.
However, to be eligible for post-retirement employment with another URS agency, employees generally have to sit out of the system for one year after retirement.
There are a few exceptions that allow an employee to be re-employed after 60 days.
However, Bateman retired as the director of the Tooele County Health Department on Jan. 5, the same day he was sworn is as a Tooele County Commissioner.
Despite a move by the county commission in January that made Bateman’s commission seat a part-time position for retirement purposes, Bateman said URS declared that he was not eligible to collect retirement benefits and collect an employment check.
Tooele County will make retirement contributions to URS for Bateman, the same as any other employee.
The URS retirement plan that Bateman is eligible for provides a fixed payment upon retirement based on the employee’s highest three years of salary and the total number of years of employment.
Bateman’s annual salary as health department director in 2013 was $102,906, according to UtahsRight.com. His current 2015 salary as a commissioner is now $78,491.
Bateman worked for the health department for 36 years before he became a county commissioner in January.