01/14/2021
Pension Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes January 14, 2021
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City of Clearwater
City of Clearwater
Main Library - Council Chambers
100 N. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33755
Meeting Minutes
Thursday, January 14, 2021
9:00 AM
Main Library - Council Chambers
Pension Advisory Committee
Pension Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes January 14, 2021
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City of Clearwater
Roll Call
Present 6 - Vice Chair Greg Newland, Committee Member Hoyt Hamilton,
Committee Member April Eversole, Committee Member Frank
Hibbard, Committee Member Mark Bunker, and Committee Member
Gregory Record
Absent 1 - Chair Nathan Hightower
Also Present - Jennifer Poirrier – 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 the Main Library.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily
discussed in that order.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve minutes of December 1, 2020 Pension Advisory Committee meeting as
submitted in written summation.
Member Hibbard moved to approve minutes of December 1, 2021
Pension Advisory Committee Special 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
Joel McGraw, Accounting Technician, Engineering 11/09/2020
Cinthya Taveras-Peguero, Police Records Specialist, Police 11/09/2020
Marcus Blackwell, Solid Waste Worker, Solid Waste 11/09/2020
Dustin Andricks, Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator A, Public Utilities 11/09/2020
Timothy Bowden, Fleet Mechanic, General Services 11/23/2020
Michael Krukemeier, Lead Parks Services Technician, Parks and Recreation 11/23/2020
William Mock, Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Trainee, Public Utilities 11/23/2020
Jillian Sparks, Aquatics Coordinator, Parks and Recreation 11/23/2020
Hannah Anhalt, Police Cadet, Police 11/23/2020
Matthew Simpson, Fire Apparatus Mechanic, Fire 12/07/2020
Martelle Jones, Parks Service Technician, Parks and Recreation 12/21/2020
Ander Woods, Solid Waste Worker, Solid Waste 12/21/2020
Amy Kuhle, Billing Specialist, Marine & Aviation 11/09/2020
Pension Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes January 14, 2021
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City of Clearwater
Member Hamilton 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 Catherine Long, Police
Department, to vest their pension as provided by Section 2.419 of the Employees’
Pension Plan.
Catherine Long, Police Officer, Police Department, was employed by the
City on January 12, 2004, and began participating in the Pension Plan on
that date. Ms. Long terminated from City employment on May 22, 2020.
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 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. Ms. Long will meet the hazardous duty criteria and begin collecting
pension in February 2024.
Member Record moved to recommend approval of the following
request of employee Catherine Long, Police Department, to vest
their 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 William Dillashaw,
Engineering Department, Darian Dublin, Solid Waste Department, Carl Freeman,
General Support Services Department, Michael Head, General Support Services
Department, Julie Hudson, Library Department, Vernon Kearney, Engineering
Department, Darrin Maser, Fire Department, David Roberts, Engineering Department,
Valerie Smutko, Solid Waste Department, Ricky Stasiowski, Fire Department and
Gerald Wells, Public Utilities Department, for a regular pension as provided by Sections
2.416 and 2.424 of the Employees’ Pension Plan.
William Dillashaw, Senior Stormwater Technician, Engineering
Department, was employed by the City on February 28, 2000 and his
pension service credit is effective on November 6, 2000. His pension will
be effective December 1, 2020. Based on an average salary of
approximately $38,141.41 over the past five years, the formula for
Pension Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes January 14, 2021
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City of Clearwater
computing regular pensions and Mr. Dillashaw’s selection of the Life
Annuity, this pension benefit will be approximately $21,050.64 annually.
Darian Dublin, Solid Waste Boom Crane Operator, Solid Waste and
Recycling Department, was employed by the City on October 8, 1990 and
his pension service credit is effective on December 17, 1990. His pension
will be effective February 1, 2021. Based on an average salary of
approximately $43,702.22 over the past five years, the formula for
computing regular pensions and Mr. Dublin’s selection of the 100% Joint and
Survivor Annuity with a 30% partial lump sum, this pension benefit will be
approximately $22,490.88 annually.
Carl Freeman, Skilled Tradesworker, General Support Services
Department, was employed by the City on March 22, 2004 and his pension
service credit is effective on that date. His pension will be effective January
1, 2021. Based on an average salary of approximately $40,843.35 over the
past five years, the formula for computing regular pensions and Mr.
Freeman’s selection of the 50% Joint and Survivor Annuity, this pension
benefit will be approximately $16,715.04 annually.
Michael Head, Fleet Mechanic, General Support Services Department,
was employed by the City on April 10, 2000 and his pension service credit is
effective on that date. His pension will be effective January 1, 2021. Based
on an average salary of approximately $42,608.52 over the past five years,
the formula for computing regular pensions and Mr. Head’s selection of the
Life Annuity, this pension benefit will be approximately $24,245.16 annually.
Julie Hudson, Librarian, Library Department, was employed by the City
on August 24, 1992 and her pension service credit is effective on that date.
Her pension will be effective March 1, 2021. Based on an average salary of
approximately $58,216.27 over the past five years, the formula for
computing regular pensions and Ms. Hudson’s selection of the 66 2/3% Joint
and Survivor Annuity, this pension benefit will be approximately $46,357.44
annually.
Vernon Kearney, Senior Stormwater Technician, Engineering
Department, was employed by the City on May 22, 2000 and his pension
service credit is effective on July 15, 2000. His pension will be effective
February 1, 2021. Based on an average salary of approximately $40,081.90
over the past five years, the formula for computing regular pensions and Mr.
Kearney’s selection of the Life Annuity with a 20% partial lump sum, this
pension benefit will be approximately $18,062.28 annually.
Darrin Maser, Firefighter/Driver-Operator, Fire Department, was
employed by the City on December 12, 1994, and his pension service credit
is effective on that date. His pension will be effective February 1, 2021.
Based on an average salary of approximately $91,462.13 over the past five
Pension Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes January 14, 2021
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City of Clearwater
years, the formula for computing regular pensions and Mr. Maser’s selection
of the 100% Joint and Survivor Annuity with a 30% partial lump sum, this
pension benefit will be approximately $45,084.00 annually.
David Roberts, Stormwater Heavy Equipment Operator, Engineering
Department, was employed by the City on April 18, 1994 and his pension
service credit is effective on that date. His pension will be effective February
1, 2021. Based on an average salary of approximately $48,497.88 over the
past five years, the formula for computing regular pensions and Mr.
Roberts’s selection of the 100% Joint and Survivor Annuity, this pension
benefit will be approximately $29,543.88 annually.
Valerie Smutko, Transfer Station/Scales Operator, Solid Waste and
Recycling Department, was employed by the City on June 16, 2003 and
her pension service credit is effective on October 2, 2006. Her pension will
be effective January 1, 2021. Based on an average salary of approximately
$32,992.75 over the past five years, the formula for computing regular
pensions and Ms. Smutko’s selection of the 10 Year Certain and Life Annuity
with a 10% partial lump sum, this pension benefit will be approximately
$11,116.20 annually.
Ricky Stasiowski, Fire Division Chief, Fire Department, was employed by
the City on July 23, 2007, and his pension service credit is effective on
December 20, 2008. His pension will be effective June 1, 2021. Based on an
average salary of approximately $117,451.54 over the past five years, the
formula for computing regular pensions and Mr. Stasiowski’s selection of the
Life Annuity, this pension benefit will be approximately $41,031.36 annually.
Gerald Wells, Public Utilities Assistant Manager, Public Utilities
Department, was employed by the City on December 9, 1985 and his
pension service credit is effective on that date. His pension will be effective
February 1, 2021. Based on an average salary of approximately $76,373.23
over the past five years, the formula for computing regular pensions and Mr.
Wells’ selection of the 100% Joint and Survivor Annuity, this pension benefit
will be approximately $73,212.12 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. Mr. Dillashaw, Mr. Dublin, Mr.
Freeman, Mr. Head, Ms. Hudson, Mr. Kearney, Mr. Roberts, Ms. Smutko
and Mr. Wells have met the non-hazardous duty criteria.
Pension Advisory Committee
Meeting Minutes January 14, 2021
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. Maser and Mr. Stasiowski have met the hazardous duty criteria.
Member Hibbard moved to recommend approval of the following
request of employees William Dillashaw, Engineering Department,
Darian Dublin, Solid Waste Department, Carl Freeman, General
Support Services Department, Michael Head, General Support
Services Department, Julie Hudson, Library Department, Vernon
Kearney, Engineering Department, Darrin Maser, Fire Department,
David Roberts, Engineering Department, Valerie Smutko, Solid
Waste Department, Ricky Stasiowski, Fire Department and Gerald
Wells, Public Utilities 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.
5. Old Business Items: None.
6. Director's Report
Human Resources Director Jennifer Poirrier announced 2 informal disability
hearings were scheduled for the March 11, 2021 meeting.
7. Board Members to be Heard
8. Adjourn
In response to Member Newland's request, Finance Director Jay Ravins said
a PDF of the Pension Plan's actuary report for calendar year 2020 would be
distributed to members upon its receipt from the actuary in mid-April
Members offered Happy New Year greetings.
The meeting adjourned at 9:03 a.m.
\d 4)71
Chair
Attest: Pension Advisory Committee
Board Repo
City of Clearwater
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