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NOTE 8 – DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS – STATE-WIDE (CONTINUED) <br />There are different types of annuities available to members upon retirement. A single -life annuity is a <br />lifetime annuity that ceases upon the death of the retiree —no survivor annuity is payable. There are also <br />various types of joint and survivor annuity options available which will be payable over joint lives. <br />Members may also leave their contributions in the fund upon termination of public service in order to <br />qualify for a deferred annuity at retirement age. Refunds of contributions are available at any time to <br />members who leave public service, but before retirement benefits begin. <br />The benefit provisions stated in the previous paragraphs of this section are current provisions and apply to <br />active plan participants. Vested, terminated employees who are entitled to benefits but are not receiving <br />them yet are bound by the provisions in effect at the time they last terminated their public service. <br />PERA issues a publicly available financial report that includes financial statements and required <br />supplementary information for PERF and PEPFF. That report may be obtained on the web at mnpera.org, <br />by writing to PERA at Public Employees' Retirement Association, Retirement System of Minnesota <br />Building, 60 Empire Drive, Suite 200, St. Paul, Minnesota 55103 -2088 or by calling (651) 296 -7460 or <br />(800) 652 -9026. <br />B. Funding Policy <br />Minnesota Statutes Chapter 353 sets the rates for employer and employee contributions. These statutes <br />are established and amended by the State Legislature. The City makes annual contributions to the <br />pension plans equal to the amount required by state statutes. PERF Basic and Coordinated Plan members <br />were required to contribute 9.1% and 5.5 %, respectively, of their annual covered salary in 2006. <br />Contribution rates in the Coordinated Plan will increase in 2007 to 5.75 %. PEPFF members were <br />required to contribute 7.0% of their annual covered salary in 2006. That rate will increase to 7.8% in <br />2007. The City is required to contribute the following percentages of annual covered payroll: 11.78% for <br />Basic Plan PERF members, 6.00% for Coordinated Plan PERF members, and 10.5% for PEPFF members. <br />Employer contribution rates for the Coordinated Plan and PEPFF will increase to 6.25% and 11.7% <br />respectively, effective January 1, 2007. <br />The City's contributions for the past three years ending December 31, which were equal to the <br />contractually required contributions for each year as set by state statute, were as follows: <br />PERF PEPFF Total <br />2006 $ 185,584 • $ 156,320 $ 341,904 <br />2005 $ 157,590 $ 126,872 $ 284,462 <br />2004 $ 132,297 $ 114,601 $ . 246,898 <br />NOTE 9 -- DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PENSION PLAN -- FIRE RELIEF ASSOCIATION <br />A.. Plan Description <br />Volunteer firefighters of the City are members of the Ramsey Firefighter's Relief Association (the <br />Association). The Association is a single - employer defined contribution pension plan that operates under <br />the provisions of Minnesota Statutes § 69 and 424, as amended. It is governed by a Board of six officers <br />and trustees elected by the members of the Association for three year terms. The chief of the Ramsey <br />Volunteer Fire Department, the Mayor, and the Finance Director of the City are ex- officio members of the <br />Board of Trustees. The City's payroll for members of the Association for the year ended December 31, <br />2006 was $188,540, compared to a total city payroll of $5,238,822. <br />-44- <br />