(A) Effective April 1, 2021, 2% of the statutorily required employee contributions to OPERS shall be picked up and paid as a fringe benefit by the city for each person within any of the classes established in division (B) below. The pick-up shall be an offset against future salary increases. This “pick-up” by the city shall be designated as public employee contributions and shall be in lieu of contributions to OPERS by each person within any of the classes established in division (B) below. No person subject to this “pick-up” shall have the option of choosing to receive the statutorily required contribution to OPERS directly instead of having it “picked-up” by the city or of being excluded from the “pick-up”. The city shall, in reporting and making remittance to OPERS, report that the public employees contribution for each person subject to this “pick up” has been made as provided by the statute. Therefore, contributions, although designated as employee contributions, are employer-paid, and employees do not have the option to receive the contributions directly. All contributions are paid by the employer directly to the plan.
(B) The “pick-up” by the city provided by this section shall apply to employees whose labor contracts provide for a pick-up and the Deputy Auditor, Police Clerk and Code Enforcement Officer that are employees of the city who are or will become contributing members of OPERS.
(C) Under the fringe-benefit method of employer pick up, salary is not modified; however, the employer will pay 2% of the employees’ statutorily required contribution to OPERS. The remaining contributions will be handled in the salary reduction manner.
(D) The Treasurer and/or the Clerk are hereby authorized and directed to implement the provisions of this section to institute the “pick up” of the statutorily required contributions to OPERS for those persons reflected in division (B) above so as to enable them to have their employee contributions paid by their employer.
(Ord. 23-21, passed 3-22-2021)