Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fort Lauderdale
Police and Firefighters’
Pension Plan
(1)
Key Elements
Established by City in 1973
Covers 491 sworn police officers and
382 sworn firefighters
Provides benefits to 944 retirees and
beneficiaries
Assets of $394.4 million (market
value on 9-30-09)
(2)
Administering the Plan
Administered by 7-member board of
trustees:
2 elected by police officers
2 elected by firefighters
2 appointed by mayor
1 consensus trustee approved by City
Commission
(3)
Current Trustees
1. Lieutenant Michael Dew (police), Chairman
2. Officer Richard Fortunato (police), Secretary
3. Firefighter J. Scott Bayne (fire)
4. Battalion Chief Ken Rudominer (fire), Vice
Chairman
5. Mark Burnam (appointed by Mayor)
6. Jim Naugle (appointed by Mayor)
7. Dennis Hole (consensus trustee approved by
City Commission)
Finance Director (city) ex-officio member
(4)
Funding the Plan
Funding comes from 4 sources
Employee Contribution: 7% of pay
State Contribution: tax on casualty
and property insurance premiums
City Contribution: determined by
plan actuary to maintain benefits
Investment Income: return on assets
invested in securities
(5)
City’s Contribution 2008
36.3% of $52.8 million payroll*
Pension contribution of $18.6 million
Employee Contribution $4 million
Investment Income $9.2 million
Fund Value Declined 22.1%**
Plan is pre-funded for 78% of benefits
*City saved $2 million by not having to pay pension contributions on 69 officers
participating in the DROP program
**Fund value declined only four times in past 18 years due to market downturn
(6)
Retirement Formula
YEARS:
20 years service or 10 years and age 55
BENEFIT ACCRUAL:
3.38% credited toward each year of work
FINAL SALARY:
average of 2 highest years
(7)
Sample Retirement
20 years of service
Benefit Accrual 3.38%
Final 2 years salary average $70,000
(8)
Benefit Options
(9)
Death of an Active Officer
(10)
Deferred Retirement Option
Plan (DROP)
After 20 years of service
Retire and monthly benefit is frozen
Work at regular salary for up to 5 years
Maximum combined service is 27 years
City does not make pension contribution
during DROP period
Monthly pension benefit placed in tax-
deferred account
(11)
DROP
If disabled, cannot get disability pension
At end of DROP – terminate employment and
receive amount in DROP account
DROP account receives interest based on plan’s
actuarial return (7.75%)*
Interest on DROP account stops when officer
terminates employment
Retirees receive no COLA
*If investment return is greater than 7.75%, the city’s plan earns an additional amount
(12)
City Benefits from DROP
City saves pension contributions on
officers while in DROP program
City saves money on pensions as the
benefits are frozen at time of DROP
City saves money on recruitment and
training of new employees
City saves money by keeping
experienced employees
(13)
Disability Pension Benefit
Service-Related Disability Pension:
disability on the job or related to job duties
– 65% of current salary (reduced by
workers’ comp)
Non-Service Related Disability Pension:
disability is not job related – 50% of
current salary (reduced by workers’ comp,
Social Security disability or other earned
income) (14)
Overtime
(16)
Firefighters Supplemental
Share Plan
Established by the City in 2005
Paid by property insurance premium tax
Extra premium tax revenue each year is
allocated into individual accounts
After 10 years service, firefighters
receive a lump sum payable upon
termination, retirement, death or
disability*
* If officer suffers service-related death or disability with less than 10 years service,
the account balance is paid.
(17)
Pension Plan Statistics
(18)
Police and Firefighters’
Pension Plan
Defined benefit pension providing a
lifetime, guaranteed benefit and
financial security and dignity to all
retirees who served the City of Fort
Lauderdale each day as police officers
and firefighters, sometimes giving
their lives to protect our citizens.
(19)
Police and Firefighters’
Pension Plan