08-13-2003 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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Public Employees Retirement Association of Minnesota Page 2 of 4 information is available online. For online ERIS help, click here. Additionally, if you need to speak with someone at PERA about ERIS processing, you may call the Employer Line of 1 (888) 892 -7372 or (651) 296 -3636 and select menu option 8. Law Change to Allow City Managers to Re -opt in to PERA As part of the 2003 Omnibus Pension bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature (and subsequently signed into law by Governor Pawlenty), effective August 1, 2003, City Managers who opted not to join PERA can reverse this decision and enroll in PERA's Coordinated Plan. A City Manager who wishes to switch pension membership and join PERA must complete an Election for Inclusion in PERA by a City Manager form. Additionally, a City Council resolution is also required. To access the form, click here. The law provides that membership in the Coordinated Plan may begin on the first day of the pay period for which contributions are withheld from salary earned after July 31, 2003 provided that a signed Election for Inclusion form is received within 60 days of the receipt of the Coordinated Plan contributions by PERA. This election is irrevocable. A City Manager who elects to enroll in the Coordinated Plan must remain in the Plan until termination of employment as the City Manager. Are Budget Cuts Requiring Lay -offs? With the current budget situation, employers are finding it more and more likely that lay -offs may be part of the solution. PERA would like to remind you that if you are laying off employees, there are two types of lay -offs for PERA purposes. First, a temporary layoff is a situation in which you are letting someone go for a specific time period. An example of this would be a school district employee who is paid over nine or ten months and then is put on layoff status for the summer months. In this case, the person is not receiving pay from the employer for two or three months, but will be returning to the district the following September and will begin collecting pay again. A temporary layoff allows the person to continue receiving service credits even though he or she is not earning wages. You cannot use a PERA status change of 'Layoff' if it is not a temporary layoff. Second, a permanent layoff in which you are letting someone go without the intention of rehiring the person in the same position. From a