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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,July 1, 2013 Page 12 c. Receive Fire Relief Association Update Two bench handouts were provided for this item, consisting of the presentation it- self and a spreadsheet providing comparison actuarial information from 2006 to 2013 to-date. Interim City Manager Patrick Trudgeon reviewed the presentation material, providing background information for newly-elected Councilmembers as well as a refresher for veteran Councilmembers. Mr. Trudgeon noted that members of the Fire Relief Association were present for comment as well. Mr. Trudgeon's presentation included the background of the Relief Association, its' history, other relief associations and their type within the State of MN, how they were funded, current use of the Public Employee Retirement Association (PERA) versus the defined pension plan of the past; current actuarial versus ac- crued liabilities; pension costs; a history of pension increases; and the conditional staff recommendations as detailed in Page 2 of the Request for Council Action (RCA) dated July 1, 2013. Mr. Trudgeon clarified that in 2010 the City Council had made the change for newly-hired firefighters joining the department for PE- RA pensions, with no new members entering into the Relief Association. Mr. Trudgeon noted that the fund balances are related to the investment market to keep the fund viable. Mayor Roe, as an ex-officio member of the Relief Association in his role as Mayor, provided a brief history of the last benefit increase in 2009 between the City Council and Association, and agreement at that time that future requests would be every other year and tie into the percent funded moving forward. In 2011, while there was an opportunity for a requested increase, Mayor Roe advised that none was sought, recognizing that it was a difficult economic time for the City and everyone. Dave Breen, President of the Relief Association Council In response to Councilmember McGehee, Mr. Breen advised that full vestment at 100% was achieved after serving for twenty (20) years; and a firefighter could be vested at 50% after ten (10) years of service; with years between calculated ac- cordingly. Mr. Breen reviewed past and current requirements, established on the Fire Chief and lead staff of the Fire Department in defining firefighters "in good standing" based on the percent of calls to which they respond, a certain number of drills attended, and other commitments during their years of service. Councilmember McGehee sought further clarification of the defined benefits ad- dressed on page 9 of the presentation and the difference between the benefit at 100% vestment and their social security amount. While recognizing that serving as a part-time firefighter was often a second job for most firefighters, Coun- cilmember McGehee noted that the City Council also had other compensation