All city employees, including all police officers, shall serve at the pleasure of the city manager or designee. All employment with the city shall be “at-will” employment, any employee may be terminated for the convenience of the city or loss of confidence, and “cause” shall not be a requirement for such discharge. Employment with the city shall not create a property interest in continued employment nor an entitlement to continued employment beyond such date as the city council may terminate such employment for the convenience of the city.
(1984 Code, sec. 1-6-1; 1993 Code, sec. 35.01; 2006 Code, sec. 2-321; Ordinance adopting 2015 Code)
(a) 
Group medical insurance program adopted.
The city council adopts a group medical insurance program for its employees and does hereby designate program(s) and a company as determined from time to time by ordinance to provide the following benefits for employees of the city:
(1) 
Major medical coverage;
(2) 
Accidental death/dismemberment coverage;
(3) 
Prescription card coverage; and
(4) 
Dental coverage.
(b) 
Employee cost; dependent coverage.
The employee cost for the group medical insurance program shall be paid by the city, with the amount to be determined by the city council in the budget each year. The insurance carrier shall provide dependent coverage to be made available to city employees and, in the event a city employee elects to have dependent coverage, the cost of the dependent coverage shall be paid by the employee, which shall either be by direct payment from the employee or by salary deduction as authorized by the employee.
(1993 Code, sec. 35.02; 2006 Code, sec. 2-322; Ordinance 287 adopted 11/7/88)
(a) 
The city council, on behalf of the city, hereby exercises its option and elects to have the city and all of the employees of all departments now existing and those hereafter created participate in the Texas Municipal Retirement System as provided in the Texas Municipal Retirement System Act.
(b) 
The city manager is hereby directed to notify the board of trustees of the Texas Municipal Retirement System that the city has elected to participate and have the employees of the city covered in the system.
(c) 
Each person who becomes an employee of a participating city on or after the effective date of participation of such city whose position shall require more than 1,000 hours per year shall become a member of the Texas Municipal Retirement System as a condition of his employment.
(d) 
In accordance with the provisions of the Texas Municipal Retirement System Act, the deposits to be made to the Texas Municipal Retirement System on account of current service of the employees of the several participating departments are hereby fixed at a percentage of the full earnings of each employee of said departments, and to be reviewed annually at budget time and changed as approved by the council.
(e) 
Each employee who qualifies for such credit shall be allowed “prior service credit,” as defined in section 63.101 of the Texas Municipal Retirement System Act, at the rate of 100 percent of the “base credit” of such member, calculated in the manner prescribed in section 63.105 of said act.
(f) 
For each month of current service rendered to this city by each of its employees who are members of Texas Municipal Retirement System, the city will contribute to the current service annuity reserve of each such member at the time of his retirement, a sum that is 100 percent of such member’s accumulated deposits for such month at employment, and said sum shall be contributed from the city’s account in the municipality accumulation fund.
(g) 
The city manager or designee is hereby directed to remit to the board of trustees of the Texas Municipal Retirement System the city contributions to the system and the amounts which shall be deducted from the compensation or payroll of employees, all as required by said board under the provisions of the Texas Municipal Retirement System Act, and said official is hereby authorized and directed to ascertain and certify officially on behalf of this city the prior service rendered to the municipality by each of the employees of the participating departments, and the average prior service compensation received by each, and to make and execute all prior service certifications and all other reports and certifications which may be required of the city under the provisions of the TMRS Act, or in compliance with the rules and regulations of the board of the Texas Municipal Retirement System.
(h) 
Any employee of the city who is a member of the system is eligible to retire and receive a service retirement annuity if the member has at least 20 years of credited service in the system performed for one or more municipalities that have adopted a like provision under V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 854.202(g).
(1993 Code, sec. 35.15; 2006 Code, sec. 2-341; Ordinance 285 adopted 10/3/88; Ordinance 00-10-499 adopted 10/2/00; Ordinance adopting 2015 Code)
The city hereby elects to participate in the supplemental death benefits fund of the Texas Municipal Retirement System for the purpose of providing in-service death benefits for each of the city’s employees who are members of said system, and for the purpose of providing post-retirement death benefits for annuitants whose last covered employment was as an employee of the city, in the amounts and on the terms provided for in sections 62.004, 64.601 through 64.605, 63.314, 65.409 and 65.502 of the Texas Municipal Retirement System Act.
(1993 Code, sec. 35.16; 2006 Code, sec. 2-342; Ordinance 285 adopted 10/3/88)
(a) 
On the terms and conditions set out in V.T.C.A., Government Code secs. 853.401– 853.404, as amended (hereinafter referred to as the “TMRS Act”), each member of the Texas Municipal Retirement System (hereinafter referred to as the “system”) who has current service credit or prior service credit in the system in force and effect on January 1 of the calendar year preceding such allowance, by reason of service in the employment of the city, and on such date has at least 36 months of credited service with the system, shall be and is hereby allowed updated service credit (as that term is defined in V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 853.402(d)).
(b) 
On the terms and conditions set out in V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 853.601, any member of the system who is eligible for updated service credits on the basis of service with the city, who has unforfeited credit for prior service and/or current service with another participating municipality or municipalities by reason of previous service, and was a contributing member on January 1 of the calendar year preceding such allowance, shall be credited with updated service credits pursuant to, calculated in accordance with, and subject to adjustment as set forth in V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 853.601, both as to the initial grant hereunder and all future grants under this division.
(c) 
The updated service credit hereby allowed and provided for shall be 100 percent of the base updated service credit of the member (calculated as provided in V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 853.402(c)).
(d) 
Each updated service credit allowed hereunder shall replace any updated service credit, prior service credit, special prior service credit or antecedent service credit previously authorized for part of the same service.
(e) 
In accordance with the provisions of V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 853.401(d), the deposits required to be made to the system by employees of the several participating departments on account of current service shall be calculated from and after the effective date of the ordinance from which this section is derived on the full amount of such person’s compensation as an employee of the city.
(1993 Code, sec. 35.17; 2006 Code, sec. 2-343; Ordinance 309 adopted 11/6/89; Ordinance 323 adopted 11/19/90; Ordinance 360 adopted 12/20/93; Ordinance 00-10-498 adopted 10/2/00; Ordinance 01-11-533 adopted 11/19/01)
(a) 
On terms and conditions set out in V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 854.203, the city hereby elects to allow and to provide for payment of the increases below stated in monthly benefits payable by the system to retired employees and to beneficiaries of deceased employees of the city under current service annuities and prior service annuities arising from service by such employees to the city. An annuity increased under this section replaces any annuity or increased annuity previously granted to the same person.
(b) 
The amount of the annuity increase under this section is computed as the sum of the prior service and current service annuities on the effective date of retirement of the person on whose service the annuities are based, multiplied by 70 percent of the percentage change in Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, from December of the year immediately preceding the effective date of the person’s retirement to the December that is 13 months before the effective date of this section.
(c) 
An increase in an annuity that was reduced because of an option selection is reducible in the same proportion and in the same manner that the original annuity was reduced.
(d) 
If a computation hereunder does not result in an increase in the amount of an annuity, the amount of the annuity will not be changed hereunder.
(e) 
The amount by which an increase under this section exceeds all previously granted increases to an annuitant is an obligation of this city and of its account in the municipality accumulation fund of the system.
(1993 Code, sec. 35.18; 2006 Code, sec. 2-344; Ordinance 323 adopted 11/19/90; Ordinance 360 adopted 12/20/93; Ordinance 00-10-498 adopted 10/2/00; Ordinance 01-11-533 adopted 11/19/01)
The initial allowance of updated service credit and increase in retirement annuities hereunder shall be effective on January 1, 2002, subject to approval by the board of trustees of the system. An allowance of updated service credits and an increase in retirement annuities shall be made hereunder on January 1 of each subsequent year until this division ceases to be in effect under V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 853.404(e); provided that, as to such subsequent year, the actuary for the system has made the determination set forth in V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 853.404(d) of the TMRS Act.
(1993 Code, sec. 35.19; 2006 Code, sec. 2-345; Ordinance 360 adopted 12/20/93; Ordinance 00-10-498 adopted 10/2/00; Ordinance 01-11-533 adopted 11/19/01)
Effective January 1, 2002, for each month of current service thereafter rendered by each of its employees who are members of the system, the city will contribute to the current service annuity reserve of each such member at the time of his retirement, a sum that is 200 percent of such member’s accumulated deposits for such month of employment, and said sum shall be contributed from the city’s account in the municipality accumulation fund.
(1993 Code, sec. 35.20; 2006 Code, sec. 2-346; Ordinance 00-10-498 adopted 10/2/00; Ordinance 01-11-533 adopted 11/19/01)
(a) 
On the terms and conditions set out in V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 853.305, as amended (hereinafter referred to as the “TMRS Act”), each member of the Texas Municipal Retirement System (hereinafter referred to as the “system”) who is now or who hereafter becomes an employee of this city shall receive restricted prior service credit for service previously performed as an employee of any of the entities described in V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 853.305, provided that (i) the person does not otherwise have credited service in the system for that service, and (ii) the service meets the requirements of V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 853.305.
(b) 
The service credit hereby granted may be used only to satisfy length-of-service requirements for retirement eligibility, has no monetary value in computing the annuity payments allowable to the member, and may not be used in other computations, including computation of updated service credits.
(c) 
A member seeking to establish restricted prior service credit under this section must take the action required under V.T.C.A., Government Code sec. 853.305 while still an employee of this city.
(2006 Code, sec. 2-347; Ordinance 04-12-627, sec. 1, adopted 12/6/04)
[Effective January 1, 2018], pursuant to the provisions of section 855.501(j) of subtitle G of title 8, Texas Government Code, as amended (which subtitle shall herein be referred to as the “TMRS Act.”), the city, agrees to be liable for the combined normal contribution rate and prior service contribution rate for the city’s participation in the Texas Municipal Retirement System (herein referred to as the “system”), as those rates are approved by the system’s board of trustees from time to time under the provisions of the TMRS Act, provided that the combined rate does not exceed 15.50%.
(Ordinance 17-11-1067 adopted 11/14/17)