The Commissioners of the Township of South Whitehall hereby
establish the South Whitehall Township Nonuniformed Employees Defined
Contribution Pension Plan in the form provided in this article.
When used in this article with initial capital letters, the
words and phrases defined below shall have the following meanings,
unless the context in which they are used clearly indicates a different
meaning.
ALTERNATE PAYEE
A person entitled to receive, by virtue of a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (see §
58-70D), some of the benefits under this Plan of a Participant.
AUTHORIZED LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Any absence authorized by the Employer under the Employer's
standard personnel practices, provided that all persons under similar
circumstances must be treated alike in the granting of such leaves.
An absence due to service in the uniformed services of the United
States shall be considered an Authorized Leave of Absence if the employee
complies with all of the requirements of federal law in order to be
entitled to reemployment and in fact does return to employment with
the Employer within the period provided by law.
BENEFICIARY
A person who has the right to receive benefits under this Plan as a result of the death of a Participant or Alternate Payee. (See §
58-67 for the method by which Participants may designate their beneficiaries).
CODE
The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (Title 26,
U.S. Code). Reference to a section of the Code shall mean that section
as it may be amended or renumbered from time to time, or any corresponding
provision of any future legislation that amends, supplements or supersedes
that section.
COMPENSATION
A.
In general. Except as provided in Subsections
B through
E of this definition, the "Compensation" of a Qualified Employee for a given year (or other period for which a determination is being made) shall mean the Qualified Employee's total Wages from the Employer actually paid, made available, or includible in gross income for the year (or other determination period).
B.
Adjustments.
(1)
Certain nontaxable compensation. Except as provided in Subsection
B(2), "Compensation" for a given year (or other determination period) shall also include amounts that would otherwise be includible in the Qualified Employee's gross income for the given year (or other determination period) but for the application of Code § 125 (relating to cafeteria plans), Code § 457 (relating to compensation deferred under an eligible deferred compensation plan for state and local governments and tax exempt organizations), Code § 414(h)(2) (relating to employee contributions to governmental plans that are picked up by the employing unit and thus are treated as employer contributions), or Code § 132(f)(4) (relating to qualified transportation fringes), or any elective deferrals [within the meaning of Code § 402(g)(3)] for the given year (or other determination period), but only with respect to contributions made to plans maintained by the Employer.
(2)
Cash payments for waiver of benefits. "Compensation" shall not include cash payments made through a cafeteria plan due to the full or partial waiver of health or other coverage, even though such payments are includible in the Qualified Employee's Wages or gross income. The purpose of this Subsection
B is to insure that a Participant shall receive the same pension benefits under this Plan regardless of whether the Participant elects through a cafeteria plan to receive health or other coverage or waive the receipt of such coverage, and regardless of the health or other coverage options he/she elects through a cafeteria plan. "Compensation" is the same as it would be if the Employer had maintained coverages which covered all Qualified Employees, required no employee contributions, and provided no incentives to Qualified Employees to select any particular coverage option.
C.
Compensation during periods of uniformed service. In the case
of a period during which a Qualified Employee is serving in the uniformed
services of the United States, the employee's "Compensation"
shall be computed:
(1)
At the rate the Qualified Employee would have received but for
the uniformed service; or
(2)
In the case that the determination of such rate is not reasonably
certain, on the basis of the Qualified Employee's average rate
of Compensation during the twelve-month period immediately preceding
the period of uniformed service (or, if shorter, the period of employment
immediately preceding such period).
D.
Maximum amount which may be treated as compensation.
(1)
General rule. The "Compensation" of a Qualified Employee for
any given Plan Year shall not exceed the amount in effect for such
year under Code § 401(a)(17), as adjusted for changes in
the cost of living. (For any year beginning in 2015, the amount is
$265,000.).
(2)
Short years. If Compensation is ever required to be determined
for a period of time which contains fewer than 12 months, the amount
in effect for such period under Code § 401(a)(17) shall
be equal to the amount in effect under Code § 401(a)(17)
for the calendar year in which the period begins, multiplied by a
fraction whose numerator is equal to the number of months in the period,
and whose denominator is equal to 12.
E.
Modified definition of "compensation" for purposes of certain provisions. For purposes of §
58-63 (relating to Maximum Additions), the term "Compensation" shall be modified as described in §
58-63A.
EFFECTIVE DATE
January 1, 2015, the date on which this Plan becomes effective.
ELIGIBLE SPOUSE
With respect to any amount of benefit payments, the spouse
to whom a Participant was married on the earlier of the date such
benefit payments commenced under this Plan, or the date of his death
(except to the extent a former spouse is to be treated as an Eligible
Spouse under a Qualified Domestic Relations Order).
EMPLOYER
The Sponsor and all Related Employers which have adopted
this Plan, and their successors.
ERISA
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (P.L.
93-406), as amended (29 U.S. Code § 1001 et seq.). Reference
to a section of ERISA shall mean that section as it may be amended
or renumbered from time to time, or any corresponding provision of
any future legislation that amends, supplements, or supersedes that
section.
FIDUCIARY
The Trustees, the Administrator, any Investment Manager,
and any other person who exercises any discretionary authority or
discretionary control respecting the management of the Plan; or who
exercises any authority or control respecting the management or disposition
of Plan assets; or who renders investment advice for a fee or other
direct or indirect compensation with respect to any monies or property
of the Plan or has any authority or responsibility to do so; or has
any discretionary authority or discretionary responsibility in the
administration of the Plan.
PARTICIPANT
An "Active Participant" or an "Inactive Participant":
B.
INACTIVE PARTICIPANTAny person, other than an Active Participant, who had previously been an Active Participant, and still has accounts with positive balances in the Plan.
PLAN or PLAN AND TRUST
The South Whitehall Township Nonuniformed Employees Defined
Contribution Pension Plan and Trust, as set forth in this article,
as it may be amended from time to time.
PLAN YEAR
Any twelve-consecutive-month period beginning on January
1 and ending on the following December 31.
QUALIFIED EMPLOYEE
A.
As of any given date, any person employed by the Employer for
a stated salary or compensation in a position for which work is regularly
scheduled for more than 1,500 hours per year (or would be so scheduled
except for authorized sick time, holidays, vacation time, leave, and
similar paid or unpaid time off); provided such person is neither:
(1)
A person who was employed by the Employer at any time before
January 1, 2015, in a position for which work was regularly scheduled
for more than 1,500 hours per year (or would have been so scheduled
except for authorized sick time, holidays, vacation time, leave, and
similar paid or unpaid time off);
(2)
A nonresident alien who receives no remuneration from the Employer
which constitutes income from sources within the United States (within
the meaning of the Code);
(3)
A person who is included in a unit of employees covered by a
negotiated collective bargaining agreement which does not provide
for his/her inclusion as a Qualified Employee eligible for participation
in this Plan, provided that retirement benefits were the subject of
good faith bargaining and less than 2% of the employees of the Employer
who are covered pursuant to that agreement are "professionals" as
defined in Treas. Regs. § 1.410(b)-9(g);
(4)
An employee of a police department or fire department organized
and operated by the Employer, if the employee provides police protection,
firefighting services, or emergency medical services for any area
within the jurisdiction of the Employer; nor
(5)
The Township Treasurer, Tax Collector, a per diem employee,
or an elected official, other than those who are employed by the Employer
in an independent employee status. In the later event, the person
shall only be considered a Qualified Employee with respect to the
independent employee status.
B.
No self-employed individual or leased employee who is not a
common-law employee of the Employer may be a Qualified Employee or
a Participant in this Plan.
RELATED EMPLOYER
Any a) corporation which is a member of a controlled group of corporations [as defined in Code § 414(b)] which includes the Sponsor; b) trade or business (whether or not incorporated) which is under common control [as defined in Code § 414(c)] with the Sponsor; c) member of an affiliated service group [as defined in Code § 414(m)] which includes the Sponsor; and d) other entity required to be aggregated with the Sponsor pursuant to Code § 414(o) and the regulations thereunder; provided that for purposes of §
58-63 (relating to Maximum Additions), the definitions of Code §§ 414(b) and (c) shall be read as modified by Code § 415(h).
SEPARATION FROM SERVICE
A.
In general. The term "Separation from Service" shall mean the
end of a continuous period of employment of a given person by the
Employer (or any Related Employer) and may result from retirement,
death, resignation, involuntary termination, unauthorized absence,
or by failure to return to active employment with the Employer (or
any Related Employer) or to retire by the date on which an Authorized
Leave of Absence expires. For purposes of the preceding sentence only,
periods of Authorized Leaves of Absence and temporary layoffs are
considered to be periods of employment by the Employer. A person "Separates
from Service" if he incurs a Separation from Service.
B.
Temporary layoffs. If the Employer (or any Related Employer)
shall terminate a person's employment due to insufficient work
for such person and shall indicate that the termination is temporary
and that the Employer (or Related Employer) anticipates being able
to re-employ the person within six months, the termination shall be
considered a "temporary lay-off" and not a "Separation from Service."
In that case, if the person does not return to active employment with
the Employer (or any Related Employer) immediately upon recall and
within six months, he shall incur a "Separation from Service" as of
the earlier of:
(1)
The date specified in any recall as the date to return to work;
or
(2)
The date six months after the temporary layoff began.
C.
Transfers among related employers. The term "Separation from
Service" shall not include transfers between employers all of whom
are included within the definition of "Employer" or "Related Employer,"
or the mere cessation of a person's status as a "Qualified Employee"
if he remains in the employment of the Employer (or any Related Employer).
D.
Sale of business.
(1)
A person shall not incur a "Separation from Service" if the
Employer or any Related Employer sells the trade or business for which
the person performs services to an unrelated purchaser, but the person
continues to work for the trade or business. Thereafter, the person
shall incur a "Separation from Service" if he does so under the provisions
of this definition as modified by substituting the purchaser of the
trade or business (and his related employers) for the Employer (and
Related Employers).
(2)
A person shall not incur a "Separation from Service" if the
corporation for which he works shall cease to be included within the
definition of "Employer" or "Related Employer" (e.g., through the
sale of its stock), but the person continues to work for the corporation.
Thereafter, the person shall incur a "Separation from Service" if
he does so under the provisions of this definition as modified by
substituting the corporation for which he works (and its related employers)
for the Employer (and Related Employers).
E.
Uniformed service. In the case of a person who is absent to
perform service in the uniformed services of the United States and
who could be entitled to reemployment with the Employer under the
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994,
38 U.S.C. § 4301 et seq., following the completion of such
service, the person shall incur a Separation from Service (and be
entitled to commence the receipt of Plan benefits) as of the earliest
of the following dates: 1) the date elected by the person (which may
not be earlier than the date the person files the election with the
Administrator); 2) the date of the person's death; or 3) the
date the Administrator determines that the person no longer is legally
entitled to reemployment with the Employer, provided that if the person
complies with all of the requirements of federal law in order to be
entitled to reemployment and does in fact return to employment with
the Employer within the period provided by law, the person shall thereafter
be treated as not having incurred a Separation from Service with respect
to the period of uniformed service. The person shall not be required
or permitted to return any benefits received from the Plan prior to
his return to employment with the Employer.
SPONSOR
South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, a
Pennsylvania first-class township and municipal corporation, and its
successors.
TRUSTEES
Those individuals or corporations who at any given time are
the trustees of the Trust (see § 1572B).
TRUST FUND
Any and all assets held under the Plan or the Trust by the
Trustees.
WAGES
Wages as defined in Code § 3401(a) and all other
payments of compensation to an employee by the Employer (in the course
of such employer's trade or business) for which the Employer
is required to furnish the employee a written statement under Code
§§ 6401(d), 6051(a)(3), and 6052. See Treas. Regs.
§§ 1.6041-1(a), 1.6041-2(a)(1), 1.6052-1, 1.6052-2,
31.6051-1(a)(1)(i)(C). Compensation shall be determined without regard
to any rules under Code § 3401(a) that limit covered employment
based on the nature or location of the employment or the services
performed [such as the exception for agricultural labor in Code § 3401(a)(2)].
(This amount is the amount shown on the "Wages, Tips, and Other Compensation"
box on Form W-2 for federal income tax purposes.)