(a) The board shall, upon the request of, and before adoption of, the implementing ordinance by the county board of supervisors or governing board of the district, cause an actuarial analysis to be conducted to determine whether the program, as proposed to be adopted, will be cost neutral. A proposed program shall be deemed to be cost neutral if, based on the applicable actuarial assumptions, it will not have a significant negative financial impact on the members, employer, or the retirement system, as specified in subdivision (b).

(b) The actuarial analysis shall take into account the impact of the proposed program on specific measures, including, but not limited to, employer contributions, the system’s actuarial accrued liability, and the present value of benefits. A proposed program will not be deemed to be cost neutral if there is any anticipated increase in any of these measures attributable to the implementation of the program or if there is a decrease in the present value of benefits of more than 3 percent attributable to the implementation of the program.

(c) The actuarial analysis shall identify all cost elements expected to change due to the implementation of the program and shall include the impact of those changes. These may include, but are not limited to, cost elements such as benefit payments, expected retirement age, and the likelihood of termination or disability by those near retirement age. The analysis may not take into account items unrelated to the proposed programs, including the investment return on fund assets or the life expectancy of currently retired members.

(d) As used in this section:

(1) “Actuarial accrued liability” means the portion of the present value of benefits attributable to service before the valuation date.

(2) “Present value of benefits” means the value, as of the valuation date, of all benefits expected to be paid to current members of the system.

(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 897, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2004.)