All payments provided for members under Section A8.596 shall be made from funds derived from the following sources, plus interest earned on said funds:
(a) There shall be deducted from each payment of compensation made to a member under Section A8.596 a sum equal to seven percent of such payment of compensation. The sum so deducted shall be paid forthwith to the Retirement System. Said contribution shall be credited to the individual account of the member from whose salary it was deducted, and the total of said contributions, together with interest credited thereon in the same manner as is prescribed by the board of supervisors for crediting interest to contributions of other members of the Retirement System, shall be applied to provide part of the retirement allowance granted to, or allowance granted on account of said member, or shall be paid to said member or his or her estate or beneficiary as provided in Section A8.596-4, A8.596-5 and A8.596-8.
(b) The dependent contributions of each member under this Section which shall be required of each member throughout his or her membership in addition to the normal contributions, and in the same manner as normal contributions, shall be such as, on the average for such member, will provide, assuming service without interruption under Section A8.596-2, and upon he or she first qualifying as to age and service for retirement under that section, one-third of the portion of his or her allowance, which is to be continued under Section A8.596-5 after his or her death and throughout the life of a surviving spouse whose age at said death is three years less than the age of said member. If, at the date of retirement for service or retirement for disability resulting from injury received in the performance of duty, said member has no spouse who would qualify for the continuance of the allowance to him or her after the death of said member, or upon retirement for disability resulting from other causes, regardless of his or her marital conditions, the dependent contributions with accumulated interest thereon, shall be paid to him or her forthwith. The dependent rate of contribution, however, shall not exceed the difference between seven percent and the member's normal rate of contribution, and said dependent rate may be taken as a flat percentage of the member's normal rate, regardless of the age of qualification for service retirement.
(c) The City and County shall contribute to the Retirement System such amounts as may be necessary, when added to the contributions referred to in Subsection (a) of this Section A8.596-11, to provide the benefits payable to members under Section A8.596. Such contributions of the City and County to provide the portion of the benefits hereunder shall be made in annual installments, and the installment to be paid in any year shall be determined by the application of a percentage to the total compensation paid during said year to persons who are members under Section A8.596 in accordance with the provisions of Section A8.510.
(d) To promote the stability of the Retirement System through a joint participation in the result of variations in the experience under mortality, investment and other contingencies, the contributions of both members and the City and County held by the system to provide benefits for members under Section A8.596, shall be a part of the fund in which all other assets of said system are included.
(e) Any year in which, based upon the Retirement System's annual actuarial valuation, the employer contribution rate exceeds 0%, the employee organizations representing safety members shall jointly meet and confer with City representatives to implement a cost sharing arrangement between the City and employee organizations. Such arrangement will effect a material reduction of the cost impact of employer contributions on the City's general fund.
The dollar value of the cost sharing arrangement shall not exceed the total annual cost to the Retirement System of improving the police and fire safety retirement plans to the 3% @ 55 benefit level or the total employer contribution required by the Retirement System, whichever is lesser. Such cost sharing arrangement shall not require an employee contribution in excess of the limits set elsewhere in this Charter.
The meet and confer process, including all impasse procedures under section A8.590-1 et seq., shall be concluded not later than April 1st except by mutual agreement of the parties. The cost sharing arrangement must be finalized to permit implementation effective July 1.
(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section A8.596-11 or this Charter, beginning on July 1, 2012, the employee contribution rate set forth in Subsection (a) shall be increased or decreased each fiscal year based on the employer contribution rate for that fiscal year calculated by the Retirement System's actuary as prescribed in Subsection (c). Said increase or decrease in the employee contribution rate shall be calculated as a percentage of compensation, as set forth below:
Employer Contribution Rate | Change In Member Contribution |
Employer Contribution Rate | Change In Member Contribution |
0% | -6.0% |
.01%-1.0% | -5.0% |
1.01%-2.5% | -4.75% |
2.51%-4.0% | -4.5% |
4.01%-5.5% | -3.5% |
5.51%-7.0% | -3.0% |
7.01%-8.5% | -2.0% |
8.51%-10.0% | -1.5% |
10.01%-11.0% | -0.5% |
11.01%-12.0% | 0% |
12.01%-13.0% | 0.5% |
13.01%-15.0% | 1.5% |
15.01%-17.5% | 2.0% |
17.51%-20.0% | 3.0% |
20.01%-22.5% | 3.5% |
22.51%-25.0% | 4.5% |
25.01%-27.5% | 4.5% |
27.51%-30.0% | 4.75% |
30.01%-32.5% | 4.75% |
32.51%-35.0% | 5.0% |
Over 35.0% | 6.0% |
The employee contribution increases shall be deducted from each payment of compensation and shall be paid forthwith to the Retirement System. Said additional contribution shall be credited to the individual account of the member from whose salary it was deducted, and the total of said contributions, together with interest credited thereon in the same manner as is prescribed by the Board of Supervisors for crediting interest to contributions of other members of the Retirement System, shall be applied to provide part of the retirement allowance granted to, or allowance granted on account of, said member under Section A8.596, or shall be paid to said member or his or her beneficiary or estate as provided in Sections A8.596-4, A8.596-5 and A8.596-8.
The percentage increase in member contributions shall reduce, by a corresponding percentage, the City and County contributions to the Retirement System on account of said member otherwise required for that fiscal year.
The employee contribution decreases shall be paid by the City and County at the time each member is paid compensation, such that the Retirement System receives from the member and the City and County combined, a sum equal to seven percent of the member's compensation as provided in Subsection (a). The sums so received shall be credited to the individual accounts of the member on whose behalf the contributions are made.
The percentage increase in contributions by the City and County shall be in addition to the contributions required by the City and County under Subsection (c) for that fiscal year.
(Added November 2002; amended by Proposition G, Approved 11/4/2008; Proposition C, Approved 11/8/2011)