38-891. Employer and member contributions
A. As determined by actuarial valuations reported to the employers and the local boards by the board, each employer shall make level per cent of salary contributions sufficient under the actuarial valuations to meet both the normal cost plus the actuarially determined amount required to amortize the unfunded accrued liability over, beginning July 1, 2005, a rolling period of at least twenty and not more than thirty years that is established by the board taking into account the recommendation of the plan's actuary, except that, beginning with fiscal year 2006-2007, except as otherwise provided, the employer contribution rate shall not be less than six per cent of salary. For any employer whose actual contribution rate is less than six per cent of salary for fiscal year 2006-2007 and each year thereafter, that employer's contribution rate shall be at least five per cent and not more than the employer's actual contribution rate. An employer may pay a higher level per cent of salary thereby reducing its unfunded past service liability. All contributions made by the employers and all state taxes allocated to the fund shall be irrevocable and shall be used to pay benefits under the plan or to pay expenses of the plan and fund. The minimum employer contribution that is paid and that is in excess of the normal cost plus the actuarially determined amount required to amortize the unfunded accrued liability as calculated pursuant to this subsection shall be used to reduce future employer contribution increases and shall not be used to pay for an increase in benefits that are otherwise payable to members. The board shall separately account for these monies in the fund. Forfeitures arising because of severance of employment before a member becomes eligible for a pension or for any other reason shall be applied to reduce the cost to the employer, not to increase the benefits otherwise payable to members. After the close of any fiscal year, if the plan's actuary determines that the actuarial valuation of an employer's account contains excess valuation assets other than excess valuation assets that were in the employer's account as of fiscal year 2004-2005 and is more than one hundred per cent funded, the board shall account for fifty per cent of the excess valuation assets in a stabilization reserve account. After the close of any fiscal year, if the plan's actuary determines that the actuarial valuation of an employer's account has a valuation asset deficiency and an unfunded actuarial accrued liability, the board shall use any valuation assets in the stabilization reserve account for that employer, to the extent available, to limit the decline in that employer's funding ratio to not more than two per cent.
B. Each member shall contribute the amount prescribed in subsection H of this section to the retirement plan. Member contributions shall be made by payroll deduction. Continuation of employment by the member constitutes consent and agreement to the deduction of the applicable member contribution. Payment of the member's salary less the deducted contributions constitutes full and complete discharge and satisfaction of all claims and demands of the member relating to salary for services rendered during the period covered by the payment. A member may not, under any circumstance, borrow from, take a loan against or remove contributions from the member's account before the termination of membership in the plan or the receipt of a pension.
C. Each employer shall transfer to the board the employer and employee contributions provided for in this section within ten working days after each payroll date. Contributions transferred after that date shall include a penalty of ten per cent per annum, compounded annually, for each day the contributions are late. The employer shall pay this penalty. Delinquent payments due under this subsection, together with interest charges as provided in this subsection, may be recovered by action in a court of competent jurisdiction against an employer liable for the payments or, at the request of the board, may be deducted from any other monies, including excise revenue taxes, payable to the employer by any department or agency of this state.
D. During a period when an employee is on industrial leave and the employee elects to continue contributions during the period of industrial leave, the employer and employee shall make contributions based on the salary the employee would have received in the employee's job classification if the employee was in normal employment status.
E. The local board of the state department of corrections or the local board of the department of juvenile corrections may specify a position within that department as a designated position if the position is filled by an employee who has at least five years of credited service under the plan, who is transferred to temporarily fill the position and who makes a written request to the local board to specify the position as a designated position within ninety days of being transferred. On the employee leaving the position, the position is no longer a designated position.
F. The local board of the state department of corrections, the local board of the department of juvenile corrections or the local board of a county, city or town that operates detention facilities may specify a designated position within the department or facility as a nondesignated position if the position is filled by an employee who has at least five years of credited service under the Arizona state retirement system and who makes a written request to the local board to specify the position as a nondesignated position within ninety days of accepting the position. On the employee leaving the position, the position reverts to a designated position.
G. The local board of the judiciary may specify positions within the administrative office of the courts that require direct contact with and primarily provide training or technical expertise to county probation, surveillance or juvenile detention officers as a designated position if the position is filled by an employee who is a member of the plan currently employed in a designated position as a probation, surveillance or juvenile detention officer and who has at least five years of credited service under the plan. An employee who fills such a position shall make a written request to the local board to specify the position as a designated position within ninety days of accepting the position. On the employee leaving the position, the position reverts to a nondesignated position.
H. The amount contributed by a member pursuant to subsection B of this section is:
1. Through June 30, 2011, 8.41 per cent of the member's salary, except for a full-time dispatcher. The amount contributed by a full-time dispatcher through June 30, 2011 is 7.96 per cent of the member's salary.
2. For fiscal year 2011-2012 and each fiscal year thereafter, 8.41 per cent of the member's salary or fifty per cent of the sum of the member's contribution rate from the preceding fiscal year and the aggregate computed employer contribution rate that is calculated pursuant to subsection A of this section, whichever is lower, except that the member contribution rate shall not be less than 7.65 per cent of the member's salary and the employer contribution rate shall not be less than the rate prescribed in subsection A of this section.
I. Notwithstanding subsection H, paragraph 2 of this section, the contribution rate for a full-time dispatcher is forty-five basis points less than the member contribution amount calculated pursuant to subsection H, paragraph 2 of this section, except that after the close of any fiscal year, if the plan's actuary determines that the aggregate ratio of the funding value of the accrued assets to the accrued liabilities of the fund is at least one hundred per cent, from and after June 30 of the following year the member contribution rate for a full-time dispatcher is equal to the member contribution rate for a member who is not a full-time dispatcher.
J. For fiscal year 2011-2012 and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount of the member's contribution that exceeds 8.41 per cent of the member's salary for a member other than a full-time dispatcher or 7.96 per cent of the member's salary for a full-time dispatcher shall not be used to reduce the employer's contributions that are calculated pursuant to subsection A of this section.
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