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<br />NOTE 8 - DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS - STATE-WIDE (CONTINUED) <br /> <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 /> <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 /> <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 /> <br />B. Funding Policy <br /> <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 Coordinated Plan members were <br />required to contribute 6.0% of their annual covered salary in 2009. PEPFF members were required to <br />contribute 9.4% of their annual covered salary in 2009. The City is required to contribute the following <br />percentages of annual covered payroll: 6.75% for Coordinated Plan PERF members, and 14.1% for <br />PEPFF members. The employer contribution rate for the coordinated plan will increase to 7% effective <br />January 1,2010. <br /> <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 /> <br />PERF <br /> <br />PEPFF <br /> <br />Total <br /> <br />2009 <br />2008 <br />2007 <br /> <br />$ 226,852 <br />$ 224,389 <br />$ 208,450 <br /> <br />$ 259,862 <br />$ 226,930 <br />$ 192,463 <br /> <br />$ 486,714 <br />$ 451,319 <br />$ 400,913 <br /> <br />NOTE 9 - DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PENSION PLAN - STATE-WIDE <br /> <br />One City Council member of the City is covered by the Public Employees Defined Contribution Plan <br />(PEDCP), a multiple-employer deferred compensation plan administered by PERA. The PEDCP is a tax <br />qualified plan under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code and all contributions by or on behalf of <br />employees are tax deferred until time of withdrawal. <br /> <br />Plan benefits depend solely on amounts contributed to the plan plus investment earnings, less <br />administrative expenses. Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 353D.03, specified the employee and employer <br />contribution rates for those qualified personnel who elect to participate. An eligible elected official who <br />decides to participate contributes 5 percent of salary, which is matched by the elected official's employer. <br />For salaried employees, employer contributions must be a fixed percentage of salary. Employer and <br />employee contributions are combined and used to purchase shares in one or more of the seven accounts of <br />the Minnesota Supplemental Investment Fund. For administering the plan, PERA receives 2 percent of <br /> <br />-46- <br />