Subdivision 1.Covered relief associations.

The applicable provisions of sections 424A.091 to 424A.096 govern any firefighters relief association defined in section 424A.001, subdivision 4, and do not apply to the Bloomington Fire Department Relief Association.

Subd. 2.Authorized employer support for a relief association.

Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 424A.091

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Amortization: Paying off a loan by regular installments.
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Defined benefit relief association: means a volunteer firefighters relief association that provides a lump-sum service pension, provides a monthly benefit service pension, or provides a lump-sum service pension as an alternative to the monthly benefit service pension. See Minnesota Statutes 424A.001
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Fire department: includes a municipal fire department, an independent nonprofit firefighting corporation, and a fire department established as or operated by a joint powers entity under section 471. See Minnesota Statutes 424A.001
  • Municipal: means of a city or township. See Minnesota Statutes 424A.001
  • Municipality: means a city or township which has established a fire department with which the relief association is directly associated, a city or township which has entered into a contract with the independent nonprofit firefighting corporation of which the relief association is directly associated, or a city or township that has entered into a contract with a joint powers entity established under section 471. See Minnesota Statutes 424A.001
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Special fund: means the special fund of a volunteer firefighters relief association or the account for volunteer firefighters within the special fund of a partially salaried and partially volunteer firefighters relief association. See Minnesota Statutes 424A.001
  • state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
  • Tax: means any fee, charge, exaction, or assessment imposed by a governmental entity on an individual, person, entity, transaction, good, service, or other thing. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a municipality may lawfully contribute public funds, including the transfer of any applicable fire state aid, or may levy property taxes for the support of a firefighters relief association specified in subdivision 1, however organized, which provides retirement coverage or pays a service pension to retired firefighter or a retirement benefit to a disabled firefighter or a surviving dependent of either an active or retired firefighter for the operation and maintenance of the relief association only if the municipality and the relief association both comply with the applicable provisions of sections 424A.091 to 424A.096.

Subd. 3.Remedy for noncompliance; determination.

(a) A municipality in which there exists a firefighters relief association as specified in subdivision 1 which does not comply with the applicable provisions of sections 424A.091 to 424A.096 or the provisions of any applicable special law relating to the funding or financing of the association does not qualify initially to receive, and is not entitled subsequently to retain, fire state aid under chapter 477B until the reason for the disqualification specified by the state auditor is remedied, whereupon the municipality or relief association, if otherwise qualified, is entitled to again receive fire state aid for the year occurring immediately subsequent to the year in which the disqualification is remedied.

(b) The state auditor shall determine if a municipality to which a firefighters’ relief association is directly associated or a firefighters relief association fails to comply with the provisions of sections 424A.091 to 424A.096 or the funding or financing provisions of any applicable special law based upon the information contained in the annual financial report of the firefighters relief association required under section 424A.014, the actuarial valuation of the relief association, if applicable, the relief association officers’ financial requirements of the relief association and minimum municipal obligation determination documentation under section 424A.092, subdivisions 3 and 4; 424A.093, subdivisions 4 and 5; or 424A.094, subdivision 2, if requested to be filed by the state auditor, the applicable municipal or independent nonprofit firefighting corporation budget, if requested to be filed by the state auditor, and any other relevant documents or reports obtained by the state auditor.

(c) The municipality or independent nonprofit firefighting corporation and the associated relief association are not eligible to receive or to retain fire state aid if:

(1) the relief association fails to prepare or to file the financial report or financial statement under section 424A.014;

(2) the relief association treasurer is not bonded in the manner and in the amount required by section 424A.014, subdivision 4;

(3) the relief association officers fail to determine or improperly determine the accrued liability and the annual accruing liability of the relief association under section 424A.092, subdivisions 2, 2a, and 3, paragraph (c), clause (2), if applicable;

(4) if applicable, the relief association officers fail to obtain and file a required actuarial valuation or the officers file an actuarial valuation that does not contain the special fund actuarial liability calculated under the entry age normal actuarial cost method, the special fund current assets, the special fund unfunded actuarial accrued liability, the special fund normal cost under the entry age normal actuarial cost method, the amortization requirement for the special fund unfunded actuarial accrued liability by the applicable target date, a summary of the applicable benefit plan, a summary of the membership of the relief association, a summary of the actuarial assumptions used in preparing the valuation, and a signed statement by the actuary attesting to its results and certifying to the qualifications of the actuary as an approved actuary under section 356.215, subdivision 1, paragraph (c);

(5) the municipality failed to provide a municipal contribution, or the independent nonprofit firefighting corporation failed to provide a corporate contribution, in the amount equal to the minimum municipal obligation if the relief association is governed under section 424A.092, or the amount necessary, when added to the fire state aid actually received in the plan year in question, to at least equal in total the calculated annual financial requirements of the special fund of the relief association if the relief association is governed under section 424A.093, and, if the municipal or corporate contribution is deficient, the municipality failed to include the minimum municipal obligation certified under section 424A.092, subdivision 3, or 424A.093, subdivision 5, in its budget and tax levy or the independent nonprofit firefighting corporation failed to include the minimum corporate obligation certified under section 424A.094, subdivision 2, in the corporate budget;

(6) the defined benefit relief association did not receive municipal ratification for the most recent plan amendment when municipal ratification was required under section 424A.02, subdivision 10; 424A.092, subdivision 6; or 424A.093, subdivision 6;

(7) the relief association invested special fund assets in an investment security that is not authorized under section 424A.095;

(8) the relief association had an administrative expense that is not authorized under section 424A.05, subdivision 3 or 3b, or the municipality had an expenditure that is not authorized under section 424A.08;

(9) the relief association officers fail to provide a complete and accurate public pension plan investment portfolio and performance disclosure under section 356.219;

(10) the relief association fails to obtain the acknowledgment from a broker of the statement of investment restrictions under section 356A.06, subdivision 8b;

(11) the relief association officers permitted to occur a prohibited transaction under section 356A.06, subdivision 9, or 424A.04, subdivision 2a, or failed to undertake correction of a prohibited transaction that did occur; or

(12) the relief association pays a defined benefit service pension in an amount that is in excess of the applicable maximum service pension amount under section 424A.02, subdivision 3.