ADOPTED - JUNE 22, 2010
Agenda Item No. 7
Introduced by the County Services and Finance Committees of the:
RESOLVED BY THE INGHAM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
RESOLUTION TO CORRECT EXISTING MERS PLAN FOR ZOO EMPLOYEES TRANSFERRED FROM THE CITY OF LANSING
RESOLUTION #10-203
WHEREAS, on or about May 1, 2007, the City of Lansing and Ingham County entered into an Agreement (hereinafter, the “Agreement”) for the Lease and Operation of Potter Park and Potter Park Zoo which transferred operational responsibility of the Potter Park Zoo to the County; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Agreement, it was envisioned that City employees who worked at the Potter Park Zoo would be provided the opportunity to continue employment as Ingham County employees, would be placed in Municipal Employees' Retirement System, of Michigan (MERS) plans equating to City of Lansing retirement pension benefits; and
WHEREAS, by agreement with the City of Lansing and the appropriate Unions, person hired at the Potter Park Zoo on or after July 1, 2007 who were not former City of Lansing Zoo employees were to be eligible for a MERS B-2, V-10, FAC 5 plan with no employee contribution; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to these agreements, Ingham County established with MERS three new divisions:
Division 94—Zoo Hires After 7/1/07 with the following benefits: MERS B-2, V-10, FAC 5 and no employee contribution.
Division 95—UAW Local 2256 with the following benefits: Multiplier: 2.8 (1.5 >35 years) – 100% max; V-8; F58/8; Rule of 65, FAC 2 out of 10.
Division 96—Teamsters Local 580 with the following benefits: Multiplier: 2.8 (1.5 >35 years) – 100% max; V-8; F58/8; Rule of 65, FAC 2 out of 10; and
WHEREAS, unbeknownst to the County, the above-delineated benefit levels for Division 96 at the City of Lansing and were only applicable to a single former employee of the City of Lansing (Zoo Manager) and were not applicable to the remainder of the Division 96 employees. To like effect, the benefit levels for Division 95 were not accurate nor applicable to the members of Division 95. Rather, the actual benefit levels payable by the City of Lansing, and, thus by the County pursuant to the Agreement with City of Lansing, are those set forth on the attached Exhibits 1 and 2; and
WHEREAS, upon discovering these discrepancies, the County undertook to clarify and bargain with the Unions representing those employees in Division 95 and Division 96 to rectify this matter and accurately reflect the benefit levels which the had Parties agreed to pursuant to the Agreement with the City of Lansing; and
ADOPTED - JUNE 22, 2010
Agenda Item No. 7
RESOLUTION #10-203
WHEREAS, as part of negotiations, the County and the Unions representing Division 95 and Division 96 have clarified and agreed to the proper pension benefit levels payable to the employees in these divisions (See, Exhibits 3 and 4); and
WHEREAS, in addition, during the negotiations for the Teamster’s Local 580 Potter Park Zoo collective bargaining agreement, the Parties have agreed – pursuant to the MERS Bridged Benefit Program – that two
Division 96 employees would be placed into the MERS B-2, V-10, FAC 5 program with no employee contribution only as to service credit earned on or after January 1, 2010 (See, Exhibit 3).
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Board of Commissioners hereby rescinds the benefits and resolution establishing such benefits with the MERS System as to two of the three employees in Division 96 and rescinds the benefits and resolution establishing such benefits with the MERS System as to all employees in Division 95.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the attached Resolutions (Exhibits 1 and 2) establishing corrected divisions for employees formerly in Division 95 and 96.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes the transfer of the funds designated for each transferred employee from the MERS Divisions 95 and 96 for credit towards the employee’s retirement in the Municipal Employees Retirement System (“MERS”) corrected divisions hereby established by Ingham County pursuant to the Agreement.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Ms. Jill Rhode is authorized on behalf of the County’s retirement system to sign and execute all documents to effectuate and finalize this transaction, subject to prior approval as to form, by legal counsel.
Date: June 22, 2010 _________________________________________
Mike Bryanton, County Clerk, Ingham County
COUNTY SERVICES: Yeas: Copedge, Schor, Celentino, Grebner, McGrain, Vickers
Nays: None Absent: None Approved 6/15/10
FINANCE: Yeas: Grebner, Tennis, Schor, Holman, Dougan
Nays: None Absent: Bahar-Cook Approved 6/16/10