County Board Member IMRF Update

IMRF logoGot a couple of documents from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund through a Freedom of Information Request.

The first includes instructions of how time sheets shall be kept and submitted, but the second has something more interesting.

It says that those not turning in time sheets in September will be terminated from the pension system.

Here are the instructions:

[IMRF] Board Resolution 2016-08-12

Topic: Eligibilty

Subtopic: County Board Members

Date: August 26, 2016

Status: Active

WHEREAS, section 7-198 of the Illinois Pension Code authorizes the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund to establish rules necessary or desirable for the efficient administration of the Fund; and

WHEREAS, Sections 7-137(b)2.5 and 7-137.2 of the Illinois Pension Code provide the requirements for participation in IMRF for members of a county board; and

WHEREAS, it is necessary for the Board of Trustees to adopt rules for the efficient administration of sections 7-137(b)2.5 and 7-137.2.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the following administrative rules be and are hereby adopted by the Board of Trustees:

IMRF Participation for County Board Members

A member of a county board may participate in IMRF under the following conditions:

a. The county board member was first elected or appointed to the county board before the effective date of P.A. 99-900 (SB 2701); and

b. The county board has on file with IMRF a current resolution approved by IMRF finding that the board members are expected to work at least 600 or 1000 hours (as appropriate) or more in a year, as specified at section 7-137.2(a): and

c. While a member of the county board, the county board member has elected, in a written notice filed with IMRF, to participate in IMRF; and

d. The county board member files the time sheets in a form acceptable to IMRF and as provided by section 7-137.2(b).

Documentation of Time Worked on County Business

The time sheets required by section 7-137.2(b) must:

a. Contain a detailed record of the time the county board member spent on official government business during each month of the year specifically setting forth the date, length of time, and type of official government business performed; and

b. Be filed with the county’s fiscal officer (or designee) monthly, by the 10th day of the month following the reporting month. The form may be in either electronic or paper format and will be considered late if filed after the 20th day of the month following the reporting month. A time sheet must be filed each month, even if the county board member is reporting no hours worked in that month; and

c. Evidence the county board member worked at least the number of hours required for IMRF participation with the county (either 600 or 1000 hours) on an annual basis. The reporting year will begin as of the later of the effective date of P.A. 99-900 (SB 2701) or the month the county board member took office.

Definition of Official Government Business

Official government business is defined as:

a. Attendance at county board and committee meetings;

b. Preparation for county board and committee meetings;

c. Meetings and communication with county staff;

d. Meetings and communication with constituents;

e. Meetings and communication with other elected officials;

f. Attendance at official county functions;

g. Attendance at meetings of other local governmental boards related to county business;

h. Attendance at meetings of civic and commercial organizations related to county business;

i. Other activities related to county business, including office hours at the county administration building.

Official government business does not include:

a. Activities related to campaigning for public office;

b. Activities defined as “prohibited political activity” at section 1-5 of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act (5 ILCS 430/1-1 et seq.);

c. Time spent “on-call” or informally available to constituents.

Travel time:

Travel for which reimbursement would be paid to county employees under the county’s personnel policies may be included as official government business.

County Board Resolution

In order for a county board member to be eligible to participate in IMRF, the county board must pass a resolution finding that the position of county board member will require at least 600 or 1000 hours (as appropriate for that county) of work in a twelve month period. This resolution must be adopted and filed with IMRF within 90 days after each election in which a member or members of the county board are elected or re-elected.

Termination of IMRF Participation

An IMRF-participating county board member who fails to file the time sheets required by this resolution and section 7-137.2, or who files the time sheets late as defined herein for more than 2 consecutive months will become ineligible and IMRF participation will be terminated. Termination of IMRF participation for failure to file or late filing will be irrevocable.

If the county board fails to adopt the required IMRF participation resolution within 90 days after an election, the entire board will become ineligible, and IMRF participation will end for those board members in IMRF, as of the last day of the last month in which the resolution could have been adopted. Termination of participation for failure to adopt the required resolution will be  irrevocable.

IMRF Participation Opt-Out

An individual county board member may opt-out of current IMRF participation in lieu of filing the times sheets required by section 7-137.2. The opt-out must be in writing, signed by the official and will be irrevocable after it is received by IMRF. Individual opt-outs will not impact the IMRF participation of other members of the county board.

= = = = =
Below is the email sent to McHenry County on Saturday, August 27th, the day after the bill prohibiting future county board member participation in the IMRF:

Email from IMRF to McHenry County.

Email from IMRF to McHenry County.


Comments

County Board Member IMRF Update — 15 Comments

  1. How many other county boards have received this memo across the state?

    Does the time sheet requirement imposed by IMRF include municipal and township elected officials?

  2. All county boards participating in IMRF, I would image.

    Jack Franks took part-time municipal and township elected officials out of the bill.

  3. Wow, this is good news !

    Thought the bill only kept
    New board members from
    Participating in the pension plan.

    So people in the program already
    CAN OPT OUT.

    It just seemed crazy that people
    In the plan couldn’t GET OUT.

    Soooo hopefully there WILL BE
    ALOT of PRESSURE on ALL the
    Members to OPT OUT.

    But the burr under my saddle is
    The FACT, you CAL, stated above
    That municipal & township people
    Were taken out of the bill.

    Now that would have made a fairly
    Significant difference !

  4. There are a lot more townships and municipalities than the 101 counties eligible to be in IMRF.

  5. Here’s to hoping someone takes this
    Issue & gets the municipal & township
    People off the pension gravy train.

    This is much more important than
    All the fluff legislation that keeps
    Getting passed.

  6. Anybody on the board participating in IMRF and up for re-election?

    Get them out!

  7. County Board IMRF Pensions are very low priority in terms of reducing property taxes.

    Let’s approximate the savings to taxpayers.

    Approximately $53,000 County contribution to IMRF for County Board pensions / $76,289,016 County Extension for Assessment Year 2015 = .0007.

    (The County Extension is the property tax bill to all property taxpayers in McHenry County.)

    That’s seven hundredths of 1 percent.

    The County contribution to IMRF for County Board pensions is seven hundredths of 1 percent, of the County Extension for Assessment Year 2015.

    That’s actually a highball number because the County receives revenues from more than property tax extensions.

    Multiple seven hundredths of 1 percent by the County portion on your property tax bill.

    Let’s say the County portion of your property tax bill is $1,000.

    $1,000 x.0007 = .70, which is seventy cents.

    Eliminating County Board Pensions saves less than a dollar off the average McHenry County property tax bill.

  8. Thank you Mark for doing
    The math !

    We all know Jacko thinks this
    Is a big deal & talking point for
    His campaign & it turns out to
    Be almost MEANINGLESS.

    Jacko just CAN’T DO MATH &
    Doesn’t seem to know anyone
    That can.

    Almost impossible to figure out
    How much it really would have
    Saved if township & municipal
    Officials had been added to the
    Bill county & statewide.

    This does need to be looked into,
    Because it’s a no-brainer if it makes
    A difference for taxpayers.

  9. The employer contribution for township and municipal official pensions would be in those taxing districts financial documents.

    If the employer contribution for township and municipal official pensions are not in the public financial documents, then a FOIA request could be submitted for such documents.

    FOIA centers around documents; for the purpose of FOIA, documents don’t have to be paper documents, but include records stored on a computer.

    ++++++

    A good exercise for property taxing district watchdogs is to determine the employer contribution for each pension fund in the taxing district.

    Depending on the taxing district that is IMRF Regular, IMRF SLEP, Downstate Police, Downstate Fire, SURS (commmunity college), and TRS (school districts contribute .58% which is a little over 1/2 of 1% for teachers and administrators).

    School districts contribute to both TRS (teachers and administrators) and IMRF (employees that are not teachers and administrators).

    IMRF SLEP = Sheriff Law Enforcement Plan, which is for County Sheriff.

    If the municipality is under 5,000 residents the police are in IMRF; if the municipality is over 5,000 residents the police are in Downstate Police.

    If the municipality is over 5,000 residents and has a fire department, the fire personnel are in Downstate Fire; that applies to Crystal Lake.

    If the fire protection district is under 5,000 residents, the fire personnel are in IMRF.

    If the fire protection district has over 5,000 residents, the fire personnel are in Downstate Fire.

    If the municipality of fire protection is really small, they are not in IMRF, and have no or some other retirement plan.

  10. Why is it if something gets cut that current elected officials have been benefiting from – you all say it is meaningless- money is money- now if they would just cut the God Damn mileage they get paid to go the meetings… makes me want to spit.

  11. Ha ha mileage to meetings
    As opposed to having kept
    The bill as it was with municipal & township officials being out of the
    IMRF.

    Mark or Cal, how significant would
    Taking mileage away for county
    Board members be (ballpark) ?

  12. Watchdog- they can’t impact adding the the municipality and townships- I don’t disagree that it was a mistake to take it off.

    That being said- they can impact the mileage- in fact- they can demonstrate they are TRULY interested in good governance instead of padding their own pocket.

    Your perspective is so slanted it amazes me.

    For the most part- this county board has NO influence in this county- not as elected officials, not as professionals.

    They are not sought out for their opinion, support or influence- because they are for the most part self serving schelps who can’t make it in the secular world.

  13. Slanted perspective, hmmm.

    So IF the bill HAD BEEN written
    With all three groups & they can’t
    Make any impact, WHAT was THE
    POINT AT ALL ?

    There are OBVIOUSLY MANY MORE
    TOWNSHIP & MUNICIPAL officials
    Than there are JUST BOARD MEMBERS
    In MC or any other county.

    The point was to TARGET MC board
    Members so Franks could make a big
    deal about it for his campaign !

    “For the most part-this county board
    Has NO influence in this county”
    because the fact is that they only levy
    10% of the piece of the pie through taxpayer property taxes

    The only way to MAKE A DIFFERENCE
    In MC property taxes is at the school
    Districts level (which are numerous).

    Jacko is just running for Chairman for
    As Moderate recently used a term,
    POLITICAL THEATER.

    Also Jacko has all that political contribution money he sits on &
    Needs to use.

    As for the last sentence, Inish, that
    Is SIMPLY just your slanted OPINION .

  14. BTW Inish, please put some
    VERIFIABLE numbers on the
    Blog to show how taking away
    MILEAGE is going to make an
    IMPACT ? ? ? ?

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