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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 03/20/2007 - RESOLUTION 2007-029 ADOPTING THE FIFTH AMENDMENT T ITEM NUMBER: 21 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE: March 20, 2007 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Chuck Seest SUBJECT Resolution 2007-029 Adopting the Fifth Amendment to the City's General Employees'Retirement Plan for the Purpose of Shortening the Length of Time Between an Employee's Retirement Date and the Initial Benefit Payment. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution. FINANCIAL IMPACT Based upon discussions with Milliman, the outside actuary for the City's General Employees' Retirement Plan, the financial impact to the Plan of shortening the length of time by one month between the retirement date and the initial benefit payment would be statistically negligible. Milliman also commented this change would align the timing of the initial benefit payment with what is considered standard practice as compared to other defined benefit plans. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY By adoption of this Resolution, Council would shorten the amount of time that lapses between an employee's retirement date and the date upon which he/she receives the initial payment from the General Employees' Retirement Plan ("Plan"). Currently,when an employee retires from the City,his/her retirement date is established as the first day of the subsequent month. Then, in accordance with Section 4 of Article VIII of the Plan, the benefit payments commence on the last day of the month following the month of the Retirement Date. For example, if someone retires from the City on the 5th of March, his/her retirement date will be established as April 1 st and he/she will receive the first benefit payment from the Plan by May 31 st. As a result,eighty seven days will have lapsed between the last day of employment with the City and the first benefit payment. By adoption of this resolution, the first benefit payment under the above scenario will be received by April 30th, as opposed to May 31 st. Instead of eighty seven days, the retired employee would only have to wait fifty six days between his/her last day of employment with the City and the day he/she received the first benefit payment from the Plan. RESOLUTION 2007-029 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS ADOPTING THE FIFTH AMENDMENT TO THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS GENERAL EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT PLAN FOR THE PURPOSE OF SHORTENING THE LENGTH OF TIME BETWEEN AN EMPLOYEE'S RETIREMENT DATE AND THE INITIAL BENEFIT PAYMENT WHEREAS,the City Council adopted,effective January 1, 1971,a qualified defined benefit pension plan known as the City of Fort Collins General Employees' Retirement Plan (the "Plan"), for the purpose of providing retirement benefits for certain of its employees; and WHEREAS,the City Council has amended the 1971 Plan from time to time and restated the 1971 Plan to incorporate all prior amendments and other changes required by law, effective December 31, 2001, via section 1 of Resolution 2001-157; and WHEREAS, under the provisions of the Plan as currently adopted, participants in the Plan retiring from the employment of the City must wait at least 58 days from their retirement date for their first benefit payment; and WHEREAS,the Retirement Committee has recommended to City Council the approval of this fifth amendment of the Plan so that the first payment of retirement benefits to employees in the Plan can be made one month earlier than under the current wording of the Plan; and WHEREAS, changing the first payment date so that it occurs one month earlier will not significantly affect the funding needs of the Plan; and WHEREAS, Article XV, Modification or Termination of Plan, Section 2 of the Plan, authorizes the City Council to amend the terms of the Plan. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, that Section 4 of Article VIII of the City of Fort Collins General Employees'Retirement Plan is amended effective the date of the adoption of this Resolution to read as follows: Section4. Payment of Benefits. The basic monthly Retirement Benefit, computed as set forth above, shall be paid in equal monthly payments commencing on the last day of the month fbliovving tit, nionth of their Retirement Date, and continuing at monthly intervals for the Retired Member's lifetime thereafter. If a Retired Member or Beneficiary should die during a monthly interval, a partial monthly payment shall be paid. Notwithstanding the above, if the value of a terminated Member's vested Accrued Benefit derived does not exceed $5,000, the entire vested benefit shall be paid to such Member in a single lump sum, regardless of when the Member terminated Covered Employment. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this 20th day of March, A.D. 2007. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk