HF 298

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 01/22/2015 02:23pm

A bill for an act
relating to retirement; Centennial Volunteer Firefighters Relief Association and
the cities of Lino Lakes, Circle Pines, and Centerville; providing for continued
retirement coverage by the current relief association upon the withdrawal of one
city from the Centennial Fire Department joint powers agreement.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin CENTENNIAL VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS RELIEF
ASSOCIATION; COVERAGE FOR MULTIPLE FIRE DEPARTMENTS.
new text end

new text begin (a) Notwithstanding any provision of Minnesota Statutes, chapters 424A and 424B,
to the contrary, if one of the cities covered by the Centennial Fire Department joint
powers agreement withdraws from the agreement under the terms of the agreement, the
Centennial Volunteer Firefighters Relief Association, by action of its board of trustees,
may continue to provide service pension and ancillary retirement benefit coverage to the
active firefighters of the fire department of the withdrawing city in the same manner as in
effect before the withdrawal from the joint powers agreement.
new text end

new text begin (b) If the Centennial Volunteer Firefighters Relief Association board of trustees
approves the coverage continuation under paragraph (a), service credit, vesting eligibility,
and pension or benefit computation after the joint powers agreement withdrawal must
recognize the postwithdrawal period as a continuation of the prewithdrawal period.
new text end

new text begin (c) If coverage continuation under paragraph (a) is implemented, the terms of the
prewithdrawal municipal representatives on the board of trustees ends at the end of the
month next following the month in which the paragraph (a) approval action occurred. New
municipal representatives must be designated for the remainder of the one-year term. The
fire chief position on the board of trustees must alternate annually between the fire chief of
the joint powers fire department and the fire chief of the withdrawing city. If the fire chief
board position is filled by the fire chief of the withdrawing city fire department, the other
two municipal board representatives must be filled by the governing bodies of the cities
remaining in the joint powers fire department agreement. If the fire chief board position is
filled by the joint powers fire department fire chief, one of the other two municipal board
representatives must be filled by the governing body of the withdrawing city and the other
municipal board representative must be filled by the joint powers governing board.
new text end

new text begin (d) If coverage continuation under paragraph (a) is implemented, all fire state aid
and all police and fire supplemental retirement state aid received by the cities covered
by the joint powers fire department agreement and by the city withdrawing from the
joint powers fire department agreement must be deposited in the Centennial Volunteer
Firefighters Relief Association.
new text end

new text begin (e) If a minimum municipal obligation for the Centennial Volunteer Firefighters
Relief Association is determined and certified by the relief association officers under
Minnesota Statutes, section 424A.092, after the coverage continuation under paragraph (a)
is implemented, the required municipal levy must be allocated between all cities served
by fire departments covered by the relief association. The allocation must be made in
proportion to the total fire state aid and police and fire supplemental retirement state aid
received by each city to the sum of the total state aids of all cities.
new text end

new text begin (f) If coverage continuation under paragraph (a) is implemented and bylaw
amendment approval is required under Minnesota Statutes, sections 424A.02, subdivision
10, and 424A.092, subdivision 6, that approval must be obtained by all cities with fire
departments with Centennial Volunteer Firefighters Relief Association service pension
coverage.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE; LOCAL APPROVAL REQUIREMENT.
new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day after the latest date on which the governing bodies and
the chief clerical officers of the cities of Centerville, Circle Pines, and Lino Lakes timely
complete their compliance with Minnesota Statutes, section 645.021, subdivisions 2 and 3.
new text end