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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance 17-028 allowing Fire Department employees to participate in TMRSORDINANCE NO.17-028 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF UNIVERSITY PARK,TEXAS,ALLOWING EMPLOYEES OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS DESCRIBED HEREIN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL RETIREMENT SYSTEM ("TMRS"); PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT;AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS,the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas has enacted House Bill 3056 amending the Texas Local Fire Fighters Retirement Act,Article 6243e,Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes (the "Act"),to authorize certain retirement systems to exclude certain persons from coverage,and also amending Subchapter A,Chapter 851 of the Texas Government Code (which is part of the statutes governing the Texas Municipal Retirement System (Government Code,Title 8,Subtitle G,Chapters 851-855,and commonly referred to as the "TMRS Act"»to add Section 851.0011 to the TMRS Act, effective September 1,2017;and WHEREAS,the City of University Park is a municipality of the State of Texas with a population of less than two hundred thousand;and WHEREAS,the City of University Park is in a county with a population of not less than two million and not more than four million;and WHEREAS,the City of University Park has a regularly organized fire department for which a retirement system and fund have been established under Section 4 of the Act;and WHEREAS,that before January I,2017,the City of University Park had one or more departments of the City pa!1icipating in the Texas Municipal Retirement System ("TMRS");and WHEREAS,the City Council of the City of University Park finds that it will be in the best interest of the City to have certain employees (described below)of the fire "department"(as defined by new TMRS Act Section 851.0011(b)as added by HB 3056)participate in TMRS on the same basis upon which employees of the City participate in TMRS now;and WHEREAS,the City Council of the City of the University Park has adopted an ordinance effective September __,2017 (the "Section 31 A(c)Ordinance"),pursuant to Section 31 A(c)of the Act to exclude certain persons from participation in the University Park Firemen's Relief and Retirement FLmd ("FRRF");and WHEREAS,Section 31A(d)of the Act,as amended by House Bill 3056,which took effect September 1,2017,provides that if the City Council adort's an ordinance under Section 31 A(c)of the Act,then the City Council shall concurrently adopt an ordinance to allow the employees described by that Section 31A(c)Ordinance to participate in the Texa-.;Municipal Retirement System ("TMRS"); and WHEREAS,if that Section 31A(c)Ordinance is approved by the participating members of the FRRF in the election required by Section 31A(e)of the Act,the City is required to give written notice of the results of that election to TMRS and include copies of that Section 31 A(c)Ordinance, this Ordinance,and any amended FRRF retirement system plan documents;NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF UNIVERSITY PARK,TEXAS: SECTION 1.That upon approval by the participating members of the FRRF of the Section 31A (c)Ordinance and the adoption of this Ordinance pursuant to Section 31 A(d)of the Act, employees of the City's fire department first hired on or after the "closure effective date"(the "Future Fire Employees")are excluded from participation in the existing FRRF plan,and are hereby allowed to paI1icipate in the TMRS on the same basis upon which employees of the City now and hereafter participate in TMRS.In this Ordinance,·'c1osure effectIve date"means the first day of the second month after the month in which the TMRS receives the FRRF retirement system plan documents required by Section 31A of the Act. SECTION 2.That the Future Fire Employees will be considered employees of a "department"as defined by new TMRS Act Section 851.0011 eligible for membership in and required to become members in the TMRS if they meet the definition of aI1"employee"under the TMRS Act, and if the City completes all actions authorized or required by Section 31A of the Act before October I,2018 and in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 851 of the Government Code,as amended by House Bill 3056,effective September 1,2017. SECTION 3.Having passed this Ordinance and the Section 31 A(c)Ordinance,all subsequent action authorized or required by Section 31 A must be completed by the City before October 1,2018.The city manager and fire chief are hereby authorized and directed to take all administrative actions necessary to give effect to this Ordinance. SECTION 4.If any prior ordinances of the City of University Park,Texas (""Prior Ordinances'·)are in conflict with any provision of this Ordinance or any provision of the Section 31 A (c)Ordinance,then the conflicting provisions of such Prior Ordinances are hereby repealed only to the extent necessary to allow the actions authorized by this Ordinance and by the Section 31A (c) Ordinance to be given effect. SECTION 5.This Ordinance shall take effect immediately from and after its passage as the law and Charter in such cases provide. DULY PASSED by the City Council of the City of University Park,Texas,on the 5th day of September 2017. PPROVEDAS~O ~4 CITY ATTORNEY (RLD 6/8/17) TM 86922 ATTEST: CHRISTINE GREEN,CITY SECRETARY