The following words and phrases as used in this part, except as otherwise provided, shall have the following meanings:

(1) “Municipality” means any town, city, borough, school district, regional school district, taxing district, fire district, district department of health, probate district, housing authority, regional workforce development board established under § 31-3k, regional emergency telecommunications center, tourism district established under § 10-397, flood commission or authority established by special act or regional council of governments;

(2) “Participating municipality” means any municipality that has accepted this part, as provided in § 7-427;

(3) “Legislative body” means, for towns having a town council, the council; for other towns, the selectmen; for cities, the common council or other similar body of officials; for boroughs, the warden and burgesses; for regional school districts, the regional board of education; for district departments of health, the board of the district; for probate districts, the judge of probate; for regional councils of governments, the council; for regional emergency telecommunications centers, a representative board; for tourism districts, the board of directors of such tourism district; and in all other cases the body authorized by the general statutes or by special act to make ordinances for the municipality;

(4) “Retirement Commission” means the State Retirement Commission created by chapter 66;

(5) “Member” means any regular employee or elective officer receiving pay from a participating municipality, and any regular employee of a free public library that receives part or all of its income from municipal appropriation, who has been included by such municipality in the pension plan as provided in § 7-427, but shall not include any person who customarily works less than twenty hours a week if such person entered employment after September 30, 1969, any police officer or firefighter who will attain the compulsory retirement age after less than five years of continuous service in fund B, any teacher who is eligible for membership in the state teachers retirement system, any person eligible for membership in any pension system established by or under the authority of any special act or of a charter adopted under the provisions of chapter 99, or any person holding a position funded in whole or in part by the federal government as part of any public service employment program, on-the-job training program or work experience program, provided persons holding such federally funded positions on July 1, 1978, shall not be excluded from membership but may elect to receive a refund of their accumulated contributions without interest;

(6) “Pay” means the salary, wages or earnings of an employee, including any payments received pursuant to chapter 568 and the money value as determined by the Retirement Commission of any board, lodging, fuel or laundry provided for such employee by the municipality but not including any fees or allowances for expenses;

(7) “Fund” and “fund B” means the Connecticut Municipal Employees’ Retirement Fund B;

(8) “Continuous service” and “service” means active service as a member, or active service prior to becoming a member if such service (A) was in a department for which participation was subsequently accepted and not subsequently withdrawn, (B) was continuous to the date of becoming a member except service for which credit is granted pursuant to § 7-436a, and (C) would have been as a member if the department had then been participating, all subject to the provisions of § 7-434;

(9) “System” means the Old Age and Survivors Insurance System under Title II of the Social Security Act, as amended;

(10) “Social Security Act” means the Act of Congress, approved August 14, 1935, chapter 531, 49 Stat. 620, officially cited as the Social Security Act, including regulations and requirements issued pursuant thereto, as such act has been and may from time to time be amended;

(11) “Regional emergency telecommunications center” means any entity authorized by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection as a public safety answering point responsible for the receipt and processing of 9-1-1 calls for at least three municipalities.