TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: Jonathan R. Lewis, ICMA-CM, City Manager
TITLE: Ordinance 2016-02, first reading; an Ordinance of the City of North Port, Florida, amending Chapter 2, Article V, Division 6, of the North Port Code entitled "Firefighters' Pension", implementing the provisions of the 2015-2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the City of North Port and the Suncoast Professional Firefighters and Paramedics, Local No. 2546, IAFF.
Recommended Action
Approve and continue to second reading.
Background Information
With the approval of the 2015-2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the City of North Port and the Suncoast Professional Firefighters and Paramedics, Local No. 2546, IAFF, the parties to the agreement approved the following changes to the Firefighters' Pension Plan;
* The City will join the Florida Retirement System (FRS) for Firefighters on October 1, 2015, or as soon thereafter as administratively practical.
* In a subsequent ballot, all current employees will be able to individually elect to continue participating in the City Firefighters' Pension Plan (City Plan), and continue to earn benefits under the City Plan or join FRS.
o Employees who elect to join FRS will be vested in their accrued pension benefit based on each employee's credited service and average final compensation under the City Plan on the day before the date the City joins FRS, and the employee's pension benefit will be frozen at that time.
o Employees who elect to join FRS, the employee's frozen pension benefit will be payable at the current early or normal retirement date and separation from City employment (early retirement will be subject to the same conditions and benefit reductions as provided in the current City Plan).
o Employees who elect to join FRS may obtain a refund of their employee contributions or accrued benefit under the City Plan.
* All firefighters hired on or after the ...
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