Agenda - Council Work Session - 06/28/2016

Home

NOTE 8—DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS—STATE-WIDE A. Plan Descriptions The City participates in the following cost-sharing multiple-employer defined benefit pension plans administered by PERA. PERA's defined benefit pension plans are established and administered in accordance with Minnesota Statutes,Chapters 353 and 356. PERA's defined benefit pension plans are tax qualified plans under Section 401 (a)of the Internal Revenue Code. 1. General Employees Retirement Fund(GERF) All full-time and certain part-time employees of the City are covered by the General Employees Retirement Fund (GERF). GERF members belong to either the Coordinated Plan or the Basic Plan. Coordinated Plan members are covered by Social Security and Basic Plan members are not. The Basic Plan was closed to new members in 1967. All new members must participate in the Coordinated Plan. 2. Public Employees Police and Fire Fund(PEPFF) The PEPFF, originally established for police officers and firefighters not covered by a local relief association,now covers all police officers and firefighters hired since 1980. Effective July 1, 1999,the PEPFF also covers police officers and firefighters belonging to local relief associations that elected to merge with and transfer assets and administration to PERA. Benefits Provided PERA provides retirement, disability, and death benefits. Benefit provisions are established by state statute and can only be modified by the state legislature. Benefit increases are provided to benefit recipients each January. Increases are related to the funding ratio of the plan. Members in plans that are at least 90% funded for two consecutive years are given 2.5%increases. Members in plans that have not exceeded 90% funded, or have fallen below 80%,are given 1%increases. The benefit provisions stated in the following paragraphs of this section are current provisions and apply to active plan participants.Vested,terminated employees who are entitled to benefits but are not receiving them yet are bound by the provisions in effect at the time they last terminated their public service. 1. GERF Benefits Benefits are based on a member's highest average salary for any five successive years of allowable service, age, and years of credit at termination of service. Two methods are used to compute benefits for PERA's Coordinated and Basic Plan members. The retiring member receives the higher of a step- rate benefit accrual formula (Method 1) or a level accrual formula (Method 2). Under Method 1, the annuity accrual rate for a Basic Plan member is 2.2%of average salary for each of the first ten years of service and 2.7% for each remaining year. The annuity accrual rate for a Coordinated Plan member is 1.2%of average salary for each of the first ten years and 1.7%for each remaining year.Under Method 2,the annuity accrual rate is 2.7%of average salary for Basic Plan members and 1.7%for Coordinated Plan members for each year of service. For members hired prior to July 1, 1989, a full annuity is available when age plus years of service equal 90 and normal retirement age is 65. For members hired on or after July 1, 1989,normal retirement age is the age for unreduced Social Security benefits capped at 66. 80