Agenda - Council Work Session - 06/14/2011

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NOTE 9 — DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PENSION PLAN — STATE -WIDE (CONTINUED) For salaried employees, employer contributions must be a fixed percentage of salary. Employer and employee contributions are combined and used to purchase shares in one or more of the seven accounts of the Minnesota Supplemental Investment Fund. For administering the plan, PERA receives 2 percent of employer contributions and 4/10 of 1 percent of the assets in each member's account annually. Total contributions made by the City during fiscal year 2010 were: Contribution Amount Employee 1 Employer $3 00 A. Plan Description B. Pension Benefits $3 00 Percentage of Covered Payroll Employee 1 Employer 5. 0% C. Contributions Required and Contributions Made There were no current year changes in plan provisions. 5. 0% Required Rates 5. 0% NOTE 10 — DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PENSION PLAN — FIRE RELIEF ASSOCIATION Volunteer firefighters of the City are members of the Ramsey Firefighter's Relief Association (the Association). The Association is a single - employer defined contribution pension plan that operates under the provisions of Minnesota Statutes § 69 and 424, as amended. It is governed by a Board of six officers and trustees elected by the members of the Association for three year terms. The chief of the Ramsey Volunteer Fire Department, the Mayor, and the Finance Director of the City are ex- officio members of the Board of Trustees. The City's payroll for members of the Association for the year ended December 31, 2010 was $191,026, compared to a total city payroll of $5,869,049. For financial reporting purposes, the Association's financial statements are not included in the City's financial statements because it is not a component unit of the City. The Association issues a publicly available financial report. A copy of the report may be obtained at Ramsey City Hall, 7550 Sunwood Drive Northwest, Ramsey, Minnesota 55303. Minnesota Statutes Chapters 424 and 424A authorize pension benefits for volunteer fire relief associations. In order to be entitled to a pension benefit, a firefighter must have completed a minimum of 10 years of service with the fire department, 10 years membership in the Association, and attain the age of 50 years. The firefighter will then be 60% vested with every year after that at 4% per year until the 20th year when 100% vesting will occur. Because this plan is a defined contribution plan, the amount of the retirement benefit is not predetermined, but rather is based on the individual member's allocable portion of contributions made during the participation period. Firefighters also have the availability of other pensions such as deferred pension, disability pension, death benefits, and supplemental death benefits. Each of these other pensions are determined based on age and years of service. Contributions to the plan include State Fire Aid pursuant to Minnesota Statutes Chapter 69. In addition, the City is allowed to make voluntary contributions of other public funds pursuant to Minnesota Statutes Chapter 69. The City's contribution to the Association in 2010, including both city and state fire aid passed through the City totaled $109,217. This contribution represents 57% of the current 2010 covered payroll of $191,026.