4.1 ERMUSR 05-14-2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Elk River Municipal Utilities Elk River, Minnesota Notes to the Financial Statements December 31, 2023 Note 3: Defined Benefit Pension Plans -Statewide A. Plan Description The Utilities participates in the following cost -sharing multiple -employer defined benefit pension plans administered by the Public Employees Retirement Association of Minnesota (PERA). PERA's defined benefit pension plans are established and administered in accordance with Minnesota statutes, chapters 353 and 356. PERA's defined benefit pension plans are tax qualified plans under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. General EmDlovees Retirement Plan All full-time and certain part-time employees of the Utilities are covered by the General Employees Plan. General Employees Plan members belong to the Coordinated Plan. Coordinated Plan members are covered by Social Security. B. Benefits Provided PERA provides retirement, disability, and death benefits. Benefit provisions are established by state statute and can only be modified by the state Legislature. 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. General EmDlovees Plan Benefits General Employees Plan 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 PERA's Coordinated Plan members. Members hired prior to July 1, 1989, receive the higher of Method 1 or Method 2 formulas. Only Method 2 is used for members hired after June 30, 1989. Under Method 1, the accrual rate for Coordinated members is 1.2 percent of average salary for each of the first 10 years of service and 1.7 percent of average salary for each additional year. Under Method 2, the accrual rate for Coordinated members is 1.7 percent for average salary for all years of service. For members hired prior to July 1, 1989 a full annuity is available when age plus years of service equal 90 and normal retirement age is 65. For members hired on or after July 1, 1989 normal retirement age is the age for unreduced Social Security benefits capped at 66. Benefit increases are provided to benefit recipients each January. The postretirement increase is equal to 50 percent of the cost -of -living adjustment (COLA) announced by the SSA, with a minimum increase of at least 1 percent and a maximum of 1.5 percent. Recipients that have been receiving the annuity or benefit for at least a full year as of the June 30 before the effective date of the increase will receive the full increase. Recipients receiving the annuity or benefit for at least one month but less than a full year as of the June 30 before the effective date of the increase will receive a reduced prorated increase. In 2023, legislation repealed the statute delaying increases for members retiring before full retirement age. C. Contributions Minnesota statutes Chapter 353 sets the rates for employer and employee contributions. Contribution rates can only be modified by the state Legislature. General EmDlovees Fund Contributions Coordinated Plan members were required to contribute 6.50 percent of their annual covered salary in fiscal year 2023 and the Utilities was required to contribute 7.50 percent for Coordinated Plan members. The Utilities' contributions to the General Employees Fund for the years ending December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 were $339,650, $333,178 and $312,376, respectively. The Utilities' contributions were equal to the required contributions for each year as set by state statute. 44 109