Opinion ID: 173202
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The termination of Ms. Simmons’s employment

Text: Ms. Simmons began working for Uintah County in 1985, when she was hired as an office manager at the Care Center. One year later, she was promoted to Administrator, overseeing its operations and reporting to one of the Uintah County Commissioners. The events leading up to Ms. Simmons’s termination began in December 2000, when Uintah County created the District as a political subdivision “with the aim of cutting operation costs which were paid by county taxes.” Aplt’s App. at 382 (Dist. Ct. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, filed July 12, 2006). In turn, the District created the Administrative Control Board “to make decisions regarding the management and operations of the Care Center.” Id. The Administrative Control Board decided that it could further reduce costs by allowing a private entity to manage the Care Center, and it selected Traditions Heath Care, Inc., to do so. Traditions personnel suggested that the Care Center could reduce its costs by terminating Ms. Simmons’s employment and having a Traditions employee perform her duties. Some members of the Administrative Control Board discussed the possibility of terminating Ms. Simmons for cause. However, the Board eventually decided that it would treat Ms. Simmons’s discharge as a RIF. -3- At that time, the County’s RIF policy sought “to establish a uniform process for reducing the county’s work force due to lack of funds, workload changes, organizational changes, or other conditions.” Aplt’s App. at 375. It provided that “[a] reduction in force shall be the last option taken for cost savings[,]” and it required department heads to develop “a work force adjustment plan” when a RIF was required. Id. The policy required these plans to include “[a] specification of the category of work to be eliminated considering interchangeability of skills, size of organization, number of positions to be reduced, and similar factors.” Id. The policy set forth the order in which employees should be discharged, beginning with temporary employees and proceeding to probationary employees, “[t]ime-limited employees with career service status[,]” and, finally, “[c]areer service employees in the order of their retention score.” Id. The policy stated, “The Personnel Director shall give an employee separated due to a reduction in force a minimum of two weeks notification of separation and an opportunity for administrative review.” Id. at 376. The District terminated Ms. Simmons’s employment on February 14, 2001, without affording her advance notice or an opportunity for a hearing. “The County Personnel Director notified Ms. Simmons of her termination and was sent a letter stating that she had been RIFed pursuant to ‘Section 250.1 and 250.2 of Uintah County Policies and Procedures.’” Id. at 383. The termination letter -4- informed Ms. Simmons that she would be placed on the “‘reappointment roster’ for one year and would be eligible for rehire within that period for any position for which she was qualified.” Id. After her termination, Traditions hired an employee to perform the administrative functions for which she had been responsible.