(a) (1) Should any person elected to the City Council or elected District Judge of the 68th Judicial District who has eight or more years of credited service or any other member who has 15 or more years of credited service leave City employment prior to his or her voluntarily retirement age, for any reason except his or her death, retirement or discharge for cause, and does not withdraw his or her accumulated contributions from the employees’ savings fund, he or she shall be entitled to a pension as provided in § 35-23 if he or she is a general member, as provided in § 35-24 if he or she is a firefighter member, or as provided in § 35-24.1 if he or she is a police officer member, in either case as the applicable section was in force at the time he or she left City employment. His or her pension shall begin the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which he or she files his or her application for same with the Board of Trustees on or after his or her attainment of his or her voluntary retirement age or at such time as he or she would have qualified for a pension had he or she continued in the employment of the City. Unless otherwise provided in this retirement plan, in no case shall he or she receive credit for the period of his or her absence from City employment.
(2) As of the effective date of this section, and thereafter, should any general member who is an elected official, an elected District Judge of the 68th Judicial District, or an appointee of those officials and has eight or more years of service, or who is an employee not represented by a recognized bargaining unit and not employed by the Board of Hospital Managers, and has ten or more years of credited service leave City employment prior to his or her voluntary retirement age for any reason except death, retirement or discharge for cause, and does not withdraw his or her accumulated contributions from the employees’ savings fund, he or she shall be entitled to a pension as provided in § 35-23 as was in force at the time he or she left City employment. His or her pension shall begin the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which he or she files his or her application for same with the Board of Trustees on or after he or she attains age 55. Provided, however, those who were last hired prior to the effective date of this section and who have eight or more years of credited service, if elected or appointed by those elected, or who have 15 or more years of credited service may elect to begin his or her pension on the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which he or she files his or her application for the same with the Board of Trustees at such time as he or she would have qualified for a pension had he or she continued in the employment of the City. Unless otherwise provided, in no event shall he or she receive credit for the period of his or her absence from City employment.
(b) Until the date his or her pension begins, his or her balance in the employees’ savings fund shall be accumulated at regular interest.
(Ord. 1860, passed 8-16-1965; Ord. 2206, passed 4-13-1970; Ord. 2277, passed 8-9-1971; Ord. 2379, passed 1-29-1973; Ord. 2457, passed 10-7-1974; Ord. 2496, passed 5-19-1975; Ord. 2628, passed 4-10-1978; Ord. 2905, passed 4-9-1984)