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NOTE 8 - DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS - STATE-WIDE (CONTINUED) <br /> <br />There am 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 (65l) 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 Basic and Coordinated Plan members <br />were required to contribute 9.1% and 5.1%, respectively, of their annual covered salary in 2005. <br />Contribution rates in the Coordinated Plan will increase in 2006 to 5.5%. PEPFF members were required <br />to contribute 6.2% of their annual covered salary in 2005. That rate will increase to 7.0% in 2006. The <br />City is required to contribute the following pereentages of annual covered payroll: 11.78% for Basic Plan <br />PERF members, 5.53% for Coordinated Plan PERF members, and 9.3% for PEPFF members. Employer <br />contribution rates for the Coordinated Plan and PEPFF will increase to 6.0% and 10.5% respectively, <br />effective January 1, 2006. <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 PEPFF Total <br /> <br />2005 $157,590 $126,872 $284,462 <br />2004 $132,297 $114,601 $246,898 <br />2003 $115,184 $107,324 $222,508 <br /> <br />NOTE 9 - DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PENSION PLAN - FIRE RELIEF ASSOCIATION <br /> <br />A. Plan Description <br /> <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 />2005 was $201,543, compared to a total city payroll of $4,934,094. <br /> <br /> <br />