06/08/2017 Pension Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes June 8, 2017
City of Clearwater
City Hall
112 S. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33756
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Meeting Minutes
Thursday, June 8, 2017
9:00 AM
Council Chambers - City Hall
Pension Advisory Committee
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City of Clearwater
Pension Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes June 8, 2017
Roll Call
Present 5 - Vice Chair Tom Jensen, Committee Member Bill Jonson,
Committee Member Bob Cundiff, Committee Member Hoyt
Hamilton, and Committee Member Diane Devol
Absent 2 - Chair Nathan Hightower, and Committee Member Greg Newland
Also Present Joe Roseto — Human Resources Director, Patricia O. Sullivan - Board
Reporter
1. Call To Order
The Vice Chair called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. at City Hall.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order althoughnot necessarily
discussed in that order.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve minutes of May 11, 2017 Pension Advisory Committee meeting as submitted
in written summation.
Member Cundiff moved to approve minutes of May 11, 2017
Pension Advisory Committee meeting as submitted in written
summation. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda: None
4. New Business Items
4.1 Recommend approval of the new hires for acceptance into the Pension Plan as listed.
Name, Job Classification, Department Pension Eligibility Date
Michael Marra, Gas Technician I, Gas 05/01/2017
Jermael Hines, Solid Waste Equipment Operator, Solid Waste 05/01/2017
Steven Dell'Aquila, Solid Waste Equipment Operator, Solid Waste 05/01/2017
Kenneth Thibodeau, Solid Waste Equipment Operator, Solid Waste 05/01/2017
Kalvin Flagler, Solid Waste Worker, Solid Waste 05/01/2017
Eddie Marry, Solid Waste Worker, Solid Waste 05/01/2017
Michael Holmes, Solid Waste Worker, Solid Waste 05/01/2017
Jordan Williams, Solid Waste Worker, Solid Waste 05/01/2017
Daniel Dryden, Customer Service Representative, Customer Service 05/01/2017
Sarah Listemann, Senior Accountant, Finance 05/01/2017
Megan MacLean, Aquatic Programmer, Parks and Recreation 05/01/2017
Thomas Shepherd, Library Assistant, Library 05/13/2017
Justin Sepanski, Survey Assistant I, Engineering 05/15/2017
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City of Clearwater
Pension Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes June 8, 2017
Donna Hemberger, Senior Accountant, Finance 05/15/2017
Timothy Chambers, Licensed Electrician, General Services 05/15/2017
Nermina Krneta, Senior Systems Analyst, Information Technology 05/15/2017
Keith McReynolds, Rec. Program Support Tech., Parks & Recreation 05/15/2017
Qunisha Rush, Recreation Programmer, Parks and Recreation 05/15/2017
Eduard Berman, Recreation Leader, Parks and Recreation 05/15/2017
Makeda Simmonds, Police Service Technician, Police 05/15/2017
Brittani Berg, Police Officer, Police 05/15/2017
Brandon Haring, Police Officer, Police 05/15/2017
Jerome Lascko, Police Officer, Police 05/15/2017
Jenny Terrero, Police Officer, Police 05/15/2017
Allan Craig, Solid Waste Worker, Solid Waste 05/15/2017
Member Jonson moved to recommend approval of the new hires
for acceptance into the Pension Plan as listed. The motion was
duly seconded and carried unanimously.
4.2 Recommend approval of the following request of employee Andrew Wihr, Engineering
Department to vest his pension as provided by Section 2.419 of the Employees'
Pension Plan.
Andrew Wihr, Stormwater Heavy Equipment Operator, Engineering
Department, was employed by the City on December 6, 2006, and began
participating in the Pension Plan on that date. Mr. Wihr terminated from City
employment on May 12, 2017.
The Employees' Pension Plan provides that should an employee cease to be
an employee of the City of Clearwater or change status from full-time to
part-time after completing ten or more years of creditable service (pension
participation), such employee shall acquire a vested interest in the retirement
benefits. Vested pension payments commence on the first of the month
following the month in which the employee normally would have been eligible
for retirement.
Section 2.416 provides for normal retirement eligibility for non-hazardous duty
employees hired prior to the effective date of this reinstatement (1/1/13), a
member shall be eligible for retirement following the earlier of the date on
which a participant has reached the age of fifty-five (55) years and completed
twenty (20) years of credited service; the date on which a participant has
reached age sixty-five (65) years and completed ten (10) years of credited
service; or the date on which a member has completed thirty (30) years of
service regardless of age. For non-hazardous duty employees hired on or
after the effective date of this restatement, a member shall be eligible for
retirement following the earlier of the date on which a participant has reached
the age of sixty (60) years and completed twenty-five (25) years of credited
service; or the date on which a participant has reached the age of sixty-five
(65) years and completed ten (10) years of credited service. Mr. Wihr will meet
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City of Clearwater
Pension Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes June 8, 2017
the non-hazardous duty criteria and begin collecting a pension in January
2027.
Member Hamilton moved to recommend approval of the following
request of employee Andrew Wihr, Engineering Department to vest
his pension as provided by Section 2,419 of the Employees'
Pension Plan. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
4.3 Recommend approval of the following request of employees James Enigk, Public
Utilities Department, and Ronald Streicher, Fire Department, for a regular pension as
provided by Sections 2.416 and 2.424 of the Employees' Pension Plan.
James Enigk, Public Utilities Specialist, Public Utilities Department, was
employed by the City on January 14, 1991, and his pension service credit is
effective on that date. His pension will be effective June 1, 2017. Based on an
average salary of approximately $67,841.61 over the past five years, the formula for
computing regular pensions and Mr. Enigk's selection of the 66 2/3% Joint and
Survivor Annuity, this pension benefit will be approximately $50,301.84 annually.
Ronald Streicher, Firefighter, Fire Department, was employed by the City
on July 10, 1989, and his pension service credit is effective on that date. His
pension will be effective June 1, 2017. Based on an average salary of approximately
$61,883.33 over the past five years, the formula for computing regular pensions and
Mr. Streicher's selection of the Life Annuity with a 30% Partial Lump Sum, this
pension benefit will be approximately $36,173.28 annually.
Section 2.416 provides for normal retirement eligibility for non-hazardous duty
employees hired prior to the effective date of this reinstatement (1/1/13), a member
shall be eligible for retirement following the earlier of the date on which a participant
has reached the age of fifty-five (55) years and completed twenty (20) years of
credited service; the date on which a participant has reached age sixty-five (65)
years and completed ten (10) years of credited service; or the date on which a
member has completed thirty (30) years of service regardless of age. For
non-hazardous duty employees hired on or after the effective date of this
restatement, a member shall be eligible for retirement following the earlier of the
date on which a participant has reached the age of sixty (60) years and completed
twenty-five (25) years of credited service; or the date on which a participant has
reached the age of sixty-five (65) years and completed ten (10) years of credited
service. Mr. Enigk has met the non-hazardous duty criteria.
Section 2.416 provides for normal retirement eligibility for hazardous duty
employees, a member shall be eligible for retirement following the earlier of the date
on which the participant has completed twenty (20) years of credited service
regardless of age, or the date on which the participant has reached fifty-five (55)
years and completed ten (10) years of credited service. Mr. Streicher has met the
hazardous duty criteria.
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City of Clearwater
Pension Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes June 8, 2017
Member Devol moved to recommend approval of the following
request of employees James Enigk, Public Utilities Department and
Ronald Streicher, Fire Department for a regular pension as
provided by Sections 2.416 and 2.424 of the Employees' Pension
Plan. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
4.4 Informal hearing for Christopher Brown request for non job connected disability
pension
Human Resources Director Joe Roseto reviewed Code requirements to approve
non-job-connected disability pensions. Christopher Brown was employed by the
City in May 1995 and qualified to retire in February 2023. The City had no positions
Mr. Brown was qualified to do and exclusions in the Code did not apply. Though an
IME (Independent Medical Exam) normally was required for disability pension
applications, the Pension Plan attorney opined an IME would not provide new
information based on Mr. Brown's condition and acute issues related to his case.
The attorney recommended the PAC accept Mr. Brown's medical records as his
IME.
Concern was expressed lengthy narratives in the medical files made it difficult to
locate doctors'conclusions.
Member Hamilton moved to accept into evidence the entire file,
inclusive of the application, personnel file, interrogatories, and
medical records. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
Member Jonson moved to accept into evidence the medical records as
the IME. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
Board members thanked Mr. Brown for his service to the City and wished him well.
Member Cundiff moved that Christopher Brown met the
requirements for a disability pension as he is disabled due to
sickness or injury, such disability is likely to be continuous and
permanent from a cause other than those listed as general
disability exclusions, and such disability renders the participant
unable to perform any useful, meaningful and necessary work for
the employer in an available position for which the participant is
reasonably qualified or for which the participant may be reasonably
trained to perform. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
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City of Clearwater
Pension Advisory Committee
Meeting Minutes June 8, 2017
4.5 Annual Certification of Pension Entitlement Processing
Senior Pension Payroll Analyst Jennifer Moulton reviewed this year's pension
entitlement certification process. Staff mailed letters to 1,211 pensioners, including
135 disability recipients and 84 survivors. In April, staff sent certified mail to 9
recipients who had not returned certifications. After staff withheld benefits from 1
recipient who did not submit by the April 21, 2017 deadline, the recipient contacted
staff and submitted the certification; pension payments were reinstated, including the
missed payment. In response to a question, Ms. Moulton reviewed PAC (Pension
Advisory Committee) procedures re annual certification. She will report on the
number of disability recipients who were first responders. Statistics were based on
January 1, 2017.
In response to a query, Mr. Roseto said requiring IMEs for all disability recipients
would be very costly to the Plan. He reviewed Code re disability requirements for
general service employees, stating it would be expensive and time consuming to
readdress every disability recipient's ability to work after the fact.
One member suggested modifying the form to require disability recipients who were
general service employees to report if they were able to perform work for the City.
5. Old Business Item: None
6. Director's Report
Mr. Roseto said an informal hearing re a former firefighter's disability pension
application would be on July's agenda.
7. Board Members to be Heard
Board members thanked Mr. Brown for his service to the City and wished him well.
Member Jensen noted State of Florida financial disclosure forms were due July 1.
8. Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 9:25 a.m.
1)77-
Chair
Attest: Pension Advisory Committee
Board Reporter
City of Clearwater
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