As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
ACTUARIAL EQUIVALENT
A.
The present value of any benefit under the terms
of this plan will be the actuarial equivalent of the accrued benefit
in the normal form of benefit commencing at normal retirement date.
B.
In compliance with Act 600, this plan does not
provide optional forms of benefit payment; therefore, no actuarial
equivalence for determining optional forms need be determined.
C.
Limitations on benefits.
(1)
For the purpose of implementing the limitations
on benefits of IRC § 415, actuarial equivalence shall be
determined based on the following mortality and interest assumptions:
(a)
Mortality table: UP-1984 (-2).
(b)
Interest rate: 5% per annum compounded annually [except as limited under §
91-23E(13)].
(2)
For the purpose of implementing the limitations
on benefits of IRC § 415 for limitation years beginning
on or after December 31, 2002, the IRC § 417 mortality table
is the mortality table prescribed by the Secretary of the United States
Treasury under Revenue Ruling 2001-62 or subsequent guidance. Such
table shall be based on the prevailing commissioners' standard table
used to determine reserves for group annuity contracts issued on the
date as of which the present value is being determined.
[Amended 12-15-2003 by Ord. No. 588, approved 12-15-2003]
COMPENSATION/AVERAGE MONTHLY COMPENSATION
A.
COMPENSATION:
(1)
Definition.
(a)
Any earnings reportable as W-2 wages for federal
income tax withholding purposes; plus elective contributions, for
the applicable period. Elective contributions are amounts excludable
from the employee's gross income and contributed by the employer,
at the employee's election, to:
[1]
A cafeteria plan (excludable under IRC § 125) and as provided in §
91-23E(3)(c);
[Amended 12-15-2003 by Ord. No. 588, approved 12-15-2003]
[2]
A tax sheltered annuity (excludable under IRC
§ 403(b); or
[3]
A deferred compensation plan (excludable under
IRC § 457).
(b)
Any reference in this plan to "compensation"
shall be a reference to the definition in this section, unless the
plan reference specifies a modification to this definition. The plan
administrator shall take into account only compensation actually paid
by the employer for the relevant period. A compensation payment includes
compensation by the employer through another person under the common
paymaster provisions in IRC §§ 3121 and 3306. Compensation
from a related employer that is not a participating employer under
this plan shall be excluded.
(2)
Exclusions from compensation. Notwithstanding
the provisions of Subsection A(1) of this definition, the following
types of remuneration shall be excluded from the participant's compensation:
(a)
Unused vacation, personal day, and sick pay
paid on account of termination of employment.
(b)
Any lump sum payment made upon termination of,
employment.
(3)
Limitations on compensation.
(a)
For any plan year beginning after December 31,
2001, the plan administrator shall take into account only the first
$200,000 (or beginning January 1, 2003, such larger amount as the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue may prescribe) of any participant's
compensation for determining all benefits provided under the plan,
For any plan year beginning after December 31, 1995, but before January
1, 2002, the plan administrator shall take into account only the first
$150,000 (or, for plan years beginning after December 31, 1996, but
before January 1, 2002, such larger amount as the Commissioner of
Internal Revenue may prescribe) of any participant's compensation
for determining all benefits provided under the plan for a determination
period. The compensation dollar limitation for a plan year shall be
the limitation amount in effect on January 1 of the calendar year
in which the plan year begins. If the plan should determine compensation
on a period of time that contains less than 12 calendar months (such
as for a short plan year), the annual compensation dollar limitation
shall be an amount equal to the compensation dollar limitation for
the plan year multiplied by the ratio obtained by dividing the number
of full months in the period by 12.
(b)
Notwithstanding the preceding, in the case of
an eligible participant, the annual compensation dollar limitation
shall not apply to the extent that the application of the limitation
would reduce the amount of compensation that is allowed to be taken
into account under the plan below the amount that was allowed to be
taken into account under this plan as in effect on July 1, 1993. For
this purpose, an eligible participant is an individual who first became
a participant in the plan during a plan year prior to the first day
of the first plan year beginning after December 31, 1995.
B.
AVERAGE MONTHLY COMPENSATIONThe
average of a participant's monthly compensation over the thirty-six-consecutive-month
period ending on the date of employment termination. If a participant's
entire period of service for the employer is less than the specified
period, compensation shall be averaged on a monthly basis over the
participant's entire period of service. If compensation for any plan
year beginning prior to January 1, 1996, is taken into account in
determining average annual compensation for any plan year beginning
after December 31, 1993, such compensation shall be subject to the
$150,000 compensation dollar limitation, but only to the extent described
in Subsection A(3) of this definition.
DATES/YEARS
B.
(1)
The effective date of this amendment and restatement
is January 1, 2002; provided, however that the plan provisions required
to comply with the Tax Reform Act of 1966 (TRA '86), the Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1956 (OBRA '86), the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation
Act of 1987 (OBRA '67), and the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue
Act of 1988 (TAMRA) shall generally be effective on the first day
of the plan year beginning after December 31, 1988, except as specified
otherwise in this plan or in TRA '86, OBRA '86, OBRA '87 or TAMRA
for a government-sponsored plan. The plan provisions required to comply
with the 1969 Revenue Reconciliation Act shall generally be effective
on the first day of the plan year beginning after December 31, 1989,
except as specified otherwise in this plan or in said Act. The plan
provisions required to comply with the Unemployment Compensation Amendments
of 1992 shall be effective on January 1, 1993, except as specified
otherwise for a government-sponsored plan. The plan provisions required
to comply with the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 shall
generally be effective on the first day of the plan year beginning
after December 31, 1993, except as specified otherwise in said Act.
(2)
The plan provision required to comply with the
Family and Medical Leave Act shall be effective August 5, 1993, the
plan provisions required to comply with the Uniformed Services Employment
and Re-Employment Rights Act of 1994 shall be effective December 12,
1994, the plan provisions required to comply with the Retirement Protection
Act of 1994 shall generally be effective on the first day of the first
limitation year beginning after December 31, 1994, the plan provisions
required to comply with the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996
shall generally be effective on the first day of the plan year beginning
after December 31, 1996, the plan provisions required to comply with
the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 shall generally be effective on the
first day of the plan year beginning after August 5, 1997, and the
plan provisions required to comply with the Economic Growth and Tax
Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 shall generally be effective on
the first day of the plan year beginning after December 31, 2001,
except as specified otherwise in this plan or in said Acts for a government-sponsored
plan.
D.
PLAN YEARThe twelve-consecutive-month
period beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31.
EMPLOYEE
A.
EMPLOYEEAny person employed by the employer. The term "employee" shall include any employee of the employer maintaining the plan or of any other employer required to be aggregated with such employer under IRC § 414(b), (c), (m) or (o), as such provisions may be interpreted to apply to a governmental entity by the Internal Revenue Service. The term "employee" shall also include any leased employee deemed to be an employee of any such employer as provided in IRC § 414(n) or (o) and as defined in Subsection
B of this definition.
B.
LEASED EMPLOYEEAn individual (who otherwise is not an employee of the employer) who, pursuant to a leasing agreement between the employer and any other person, has performed services for the employer [or for the employer and any persons related to the employer within the meaning of IRC § 414(n)(6)] on a substantially full-time basis for at least one year and such services are performed under the primary direction or control of the employer, if a leased employee is treated as an employee by reason of this Subsection
B, compensation from the leasing organization that is attributable to services performed for the employer shall be considered as compensation under the plan. Contributions or benefits provided a leased employee by the leasing organization that are attributable to services performed for the employer shall be treated as provided by the employer.
EMPLOYER
Athens Borough, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, or any successor entity that may assume the obligations
of this plan with respect to its employees by becoming a party to
this plan.
PARTICIPANT/BENEFICIARY
A.
PARTICIPANTAn eligible employee of the employer who becomes a member of the plan pursuant to the provisions of Article
II, or a former employee who has an accrued benefit under the plan.
B.
BENEFICIARYA person designated
by a participant who is or may become entitled to a benefit under
the plan. The beneficiary may be someone other than the participant's
spouse, but only to the extent that this plan provides for a benefit
to be payable to a non-spouse beneficiary. A beneficiary who becomes
entitled to a benefit under the plan remains a beneficiary under the
plan until the trustee has fully distributed his benefit to him. A
beneficiary's right to (and the plan administrator's, or a trustee's
duty to provide to the beneficiary) information or data concerning
the plan shall not arise until he first becomes entitled to receive
a benefit under the plan.
PLAN
Athens Borough Police Pension Plan as set forth herein and
as it may be amended from time to time.
SERVICE
Any period of time the employee is in the employ of the employer,
including any period the employee is absent due to vacation, holidays,
or sickness or on an unpaid leave of absence authorized by the employer.
"Separation from service" means that the employee no longer has an
employment relationship with the employer.
A.
HOUR OF SERVICEEach hour for which
an employee is paid or entitled to payment for the performance of
duties for the employer.
C.
PERIOD OF SEVERANCEA continuous
period of time during which the employee is not employed by the employer
and is not credited with an hour of service. Such period begins on
the date the employee retires, terminates service or, if earlier,
the date on which the employee was otherwise first absent from service.
D.
Credit for service.
(1)
Credit for military service.
(a)
Any employee employed as a member of the police
force who has been a regularly appointed employee for a period of
at least six months and who thereafter enters into the military service
of the United States shall receive credit for all such military service,
if he returns to employment with the employer within six months after
his separation from military service.
(b)
Further, any employee who entered into the military
service of the United States before employment with the employer shall
receive credit for each year of military service or fraction thereof
for a period not to exceed five years. Such service shall not be credited
if the employee fails to make the required payment. The required payment
for such crediting shall be computed by:
[1]
Applying the lesser of 10% or the average normal
cost rate for Borough and township police pension plans as certified
by the Public Employee Retirement Study Commission to the employee's
average annual rate of compensation over the first three years of
service; and
[2]
Multiplying the result by the number of years
and fractional parts of years of creditable nonintervening military
service being purchased together with interest at the rate of 4.75%
compounded annually from the date of employment to the date of payment,
as provided under Act 600, 53 P.S. 770(b).
(c)
No service shall be credited under this Subsection
D(1) if the employee is entitled to receive retirement benefits for
such service under a retirement system administered and wholly or
partly paid for by any other governmental agency with the exception
of an employee eligible to receive military retirement pay earned
by a combination of active duty and non-active-duty with a reserve
or national guard component of the armed forces, which retirement
pay is payable only upon attainment of a specified age and period
of service under 10 U.S.C. Ch. 67 (relating to retired pay for non-regular
service).
(d)
Notwithstanding the preceding, effective December
12, 1994, contributions, benefits, and service credit with respect
to qualified military service will be provided in accordance with
IRC § 414(u).
(e)
No service shall be credited under this Subsection
D(1) if the employee is entitled to receive retirement benefits for
such service under a retirement system administered and wholly or
partially paid for by any other governmental agency, with the exception
of an employee eligible to receive military retirement pay earned
by a combination of active duty and non-active-duty with a reserve
or national guard component of the armed forces, which retirement
pay is payable only upon attainment of a specified age and period
of service under 10 U.S.C. Ch. 67 (relating to retired pay for nonregular
service).
[Added 12-15-2003 by Ord. No. 588, approved 12-15-2003]
(2)
Other service credited. If the employer is a
member of an affiliated service group under IRC § 414(m)
or a controlled group of corporations under IRC § 414(b),
or any other entity required to be aggregated with the employer pursuant
to IRC § 414(o) as these Internal Revenue Code provisions
are applied to a governmental entity, service shall be credited for
any employment for any period of time for any other member of such
group. Service shall also be credited for any leased employee who
is considered an employee for purposes of this plan under IRC § 414(n)
or (o).
E.
YEAR OF SERVICETwelve months of
service, excluding any breaks in service. For purposes of determining
an employee's initial year of service upon his employment, the initial
year of service shall commence on the employee's first day of employment.
The first day of employment is the first day the employee performs
an hour of service. The first day of reemployment is the first day
the employee performs an hour a service following a break in service.
An initial year of service shall end on the day immediately preceding
the first anniversary of the employee's date of hire or rehire. Any
subsequent year of service shall commence on the day following the
completion of the immediately preceding year of service.
(1)
Crediting years of service. Service may be credited
for the purpose of eligibility to participate, vesting, benefit accrual,
or determining the benefit payable under the normal retirement benefit
formula. Generally, no service shall be credited for periods during
which the employee performs no services for the employer. Further,
no more than one year of service will be credited for any twelve-consecutive-month
period.
(2)
Predecessor service. If the employer maintains
the plan of a predecessor employer, service with such predecessor
employer shall be treated as service for the employer. If the employer
does not maintain the plan of a predecessor employer, then service
as an employee of a predecessor employer shall not be considered as
service under the plan. The plan may be amended to provide for the
crediting of service performed for a disbanded police force under
an Intermunicipal agreement pursuant to the intergovernmental Cooperation
Law as provided in 53 P.S. 770(e) and (f).
TRUST
The qualified trust created under the employer's plan. The
trust shall be known as the "Athens Borough Police Pension Fund."
TRUSTEE
The person or persons appointed by the employer to be the
trustee of the trust, or any duly appointed successor trustee.