(a) Pursuant to Tex. Local Government Code Chapter 172, the City of Fort Worth may provide certain benefits, including group health coverage, to its officers, employees and retirees, and to the dependents of officers, employees and retirees. Pursuant to Article 16, § 66 of the Texas Constitution, such benefits are not a constitutionally protected right, and may be changed or discontinued at any time.
(b) Tex. Local Government Code Chapter 175 permits a person who is entitled to receive pension coverage from the City of Fort Worth to purchase continued health coverage for the person and the person’s dependents, as defined by the city, if health benefit coverage is provided to employees, and if the person is not eligible for group health coverage through another employer. This chapter does not require the city to offer health coverage, and does not require the city to pay any portion of the cost for health coverage if it makes coverage available.
(c) The City of Fort Worth provides health benefit coverage for its employees and retirees, and their dependents, and for surviving dependents of retired and vested employees on a variable contribution basis. Although the city is not required to pay any portion of the cost of this coverage, the city will pay a percentage of the cost of health benefits for retired employees who were hired prior to January 1, 2009, and their dependents, as approved by city council.
(d) The city will not contribute to the cost of health benefits for employees and their dependents upon the retirement of the employee if the employee was hired on or after January 1, 2009.
(e) Coverage under subsection (c) above is not a contractual right, nor a guarantee of future coverage. The city may change health benefits or discontinue health benefits at any time. Additionally, city contributions to health coverage in any fiscal year are contingent on sufficient funds being allocated in the City of Fort Worth’s annual budget for that fiscal year.
(f) The city shall establish a separate account for the purpose of funding the city’s retiree healthcare liability. City council shall determine the amount to be allocated to this account in the City of Fort Worth’s annual budget. The funds in this account may be invested as allowed by state and federal law.
(Ord. 18287-09-2008, § 1, passed 9-16-2008)