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CITY OF ELK RIVER, MINNESOTA <br />NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS <br />DECEMBER 31, 2015 <br />Note 5: DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLAN <br />Two council members of the City of Elk River are covered by the Public Employees Defined Contribution Plan (PEDCP), a multiple - <br />employer deferred compensation plan administered by the Public Employees Retirement Association of Minnesota (PERA). The <br />PEDCP is a tax qualified plan under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code and all contributions by or on behalf of employees <br />are tax deferred until time of withdrawal. <br />Plan benefits depend solely on amounts contributed to the plan plus investment earnings, less administrative expenses. Minnesota <br />Statutes, Chapter 353D.03, specifies plan provisions, including the employee and employer contribution rates for those qualified <br />personnel who elect to participate. An eligible elected official who decides to participate contributes 5 percent of salary which is <br />matched by the elected official's employer. Employees who are paid for their services may elect to make member contributions in an <br />amount not to exceed the employer share. Employer and employee contributions are combined and used to purchase shares in one or <br />more of the seven accounts of the Minnesota Supplemental Investment Fund. For administering the plan, PERA receives 2 percent of <br />employer contributions and twenty-five hundredths of one percent of the assets in each member's account annually. <br />Total contributions made by the City of Elk River during fiscal year 2015 were: <br />Contribution Amount <br />Employee Employer <br />$1,380 $1,380 <br />Percentage of Covered Payroll Required <br />Employee Employer Rates <br />5.0% 5.0% 5.0% <br />Note 6: DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS - FIRE RELIEF ASSOCIATION <br />A. Plan Description <br />All members of the Elk River Fire Department (the Department) are covered by a defined benefit plan administered by the Elk <br />River Fire Department Relief Association (the Association). As of December 31, 2014, the plan covered 40 active firefighters and <br />5 vested terminated fire fighters whose pension benefits are deferred. The plan is a single employer retirement plan and is <br />established and administered in accordance with Minnesota statute, chapter 69. <br />The Association maintains a separate Special fund to accumulate assets to fund the retirement benefits earned by the <br />Department's membership. Funding for the Association is derived from an insurance premium tax in accordance with the <br />Volunteer Firefighter's Relief Association Financing Guidelines Act of 1971 (chapter 261 as amended by chapter 509 of <br />Minnesota statutes 1980). Funds are also derived from investment income. <br />B. Benefits Provided <br />A fire fighter who completes at least 20 years as an active member of the Department is entitled, after age 50, to a full service <br />pension upon retirement. <br />The bylaws of the Association also provide for an early vested service pension for a retiring member who has completed fewer <br />than 20 years of service. The reduced pension, available to members with a minimum of 5 years of service, shall be equal to 40 <br />percent of the pension as prescribed by the bylaws. This percentage increases 4 percent per year so that at 20 years of service, the <br />full amount prescribed is paid. Members who retire with less than 20 years of service and have reached the age of 50 years and <br />have completed at least 5 years of active membership are entitled to a reduced service pension not to exceed the amount <br />calculated by multiplying the member's service pension for the completed years of service times the applicable non -forfeitable <br />percentage of pension. <br />C. Contributions <br />Minnesota statutes, chapters 424 and 424A authorize pension benefits for volunteer fire relief associations. The plan is funded by <br />fire state aid, investment earnings and, if necessary, employer contributions as specified in Minnesota statutes and voluntary City <br />contributions (if applicable). The State of Minnesota contributed $164,825 in fire state aid to the plan on behalf of the City Fire <br />Department for the year ended December 31, 2014, which was recorded as a revenue. Required employer contributions are <br />calculated annually based on statutory provisions. The City's statutorily -required contributions to the plan for the year ended <br />December 31, 2015 were $174,826. The City's contributions were equal to the required contributions as set by state statute. In <br />addition, the City made voluntary contributions of $30,000 to the plan. <br />-79- <br />