1996 CAFR - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

CITY OF RAMSEY, MINNESOTA NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS December 31,1996 Note 10. DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS -STATEWIDE During the year ended December 31, 1996, the City adopted Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No. 27, "Accounting for Pensions by State and Local Government Employers." In previous years, the City accounted for pension under GASB Statement No. 5. GASB Statement No. 27 presents a condensed version of the previously presented GASB. A. Plan Description All full-time and certain part-time employees of the City of Ramsey are covered by defined benefit plans administered by the Public Employees Retirement Association of Minnesota (PERA). PERA administers the Public Employees Retirement Fund (PEKE) and the Public Employees Police and Fire Fund (PEPFF) which are cost-sharing, multiple-employer retirement plans. These plans are established and administered in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, Chapters 353 and 356. PERF 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. All new members must participate in the Coordinated Plan. All police officers, firefighters and peace officers who qualify for membership by Statute are covered by the PEPFF. PERA provides retirement benefits as well as disability benefits to members, and benefits to survivors upon death of eligible members. Benefits are established by State Statute, and vest after three years of credited service. The defined retirement 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 Coordinated and Basic Plan members. The retiring member receives the higher of step-rate benefit accrual formula (Method 1) or a level accrual formula (Method 2). Under Method 1, the annuity accrual rate for a Basic member is 2 percent of average salary for each of the first 10 years of service and 2.5 percent for each remaining year. For a Coordinated member, the annuity accrual rate is 1 percent of average salary for each of the first 10 years and 1.5 percent for each remaining year. Using Method 2, the annuity accrual rate is 2.5 percent of average salary for Basic Plan members and 1.5 percent for Coordinated members. For PEPFF members, the annuity accrual rate is 2.65 percent for each year of service. For all PEPFF members and for PERF members whose annuity is calculated using Method 1, a full annuity is available when age plus years of service equal 90. A reduced retirement annuity is also available to eIigible members seeking early retirement. There are different types of annuities available to members upon retirement. A normal annuity is a lifetime annuity that ceases upon the death of the retiree. No survivor annuity is payable. There are also various types of joint and survivor annuity options available which will reduce the monthly normal annuity amount, because the annuity is payable over joint lives. Members may also leave their contributions in the fund upon termination of public service, in order to qualify for a deferred annuity at retirement age. Refunds of contributions are available at any time to members who leave public service, but before retirement benefits begin. The benefit provisions stated in the previous 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. -25-