Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 25 - PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES; PUBLIC RECORDS (§§ 25-1-1 — 25-65-33) › Chapter 11 - SOCIAL SECURITY AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT AND DISABILITY BENEFITS (§§ 25-11-1 — 25-11-423) › Article 3 - ADDITIONAL STATE RETIREMENT AND DISABILITY BENEFITS (§§ 25-11-101 — 25-11-143) › Section 25-11-106 - Counties responsible for employer contributions on direct payments to constables covered under Public Employees' Retirement System; constables responsible for employee contributions; county required to withhold percentage of gross fee income as estimated retirement contributions where constable responsible for both employer and employee contributions on net fee income; constables must make delinquent payments or elect not to and forfeit service credit

(1)
(a)
Any constable in office as of July 1, 2005, whose position is covered in the Public Employees' Retirement System by virtue of a plan submitted and approved under Section
25-11-105(f)
will remain a member of the Public Employees' Retirement System.
(b)
(i)
The county is responsible for employer contributions on all direct payments to the constable from the county.
(ii)
Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph, the constable is responsible for the employee contributions on direct payments to the constable from the county and both the employer and employee share of contributions on his or her net fee income.
(iii)
For contributions required for calendar year 2014 and any calendar year thereafter, the county may elect, by majority vote of the board of supervisors spread upon its minutes, to be responsible for the employer share of contributions on the net fee income of its constables. If the county elects to be responsible for employer contributions under this provision, the election shall be irrevocable until the board of supervisors takes office for the next succeeding term of office at which time the board may elect whether to continue the election. Notice shall be given to the executive director of any election made under this subparagraph (iii) within five (5) days after the election is made.
(c)
From and after January 1, 2006, in cases in which the constable is responsible for both the employer and employee contributions on net fee income, the county shall withhold from fee income due to the constable a percentage amount, as set by the board, of the gross fee income paid to the constable as estimated retirement contributions and shall remit that amount to the system. Not later than the date on which the annual report of earnings is due to be filed as provided in Section
7-3-45
, the constable shall submit to the system a copy of the earnings record and make complete payment of any required contributions on net earnings from his or her office, but not less than the contributions due on the governmental treasuries paid by the county in the prior calendar year. If the constable fails to make full payment of contributions at the time required, the system shall certify the delinquency to the county and the county shall withhold any and all payments and fees due to the constable until such time as his or her retirement contributions are fully reported and made.
(2)
Any current or former constable for whom appropriate employer and employee contributions and interest on all fees and county income from covered service before January 1, 2006, have not been made shall do one (1) of the following:
(a)
Make the required payments or enter into an irrevocable agreement by not later than December 31, 2005, to make the payments for all calendar years before January 1, 2006. Contributions and interest due and owing for covered services before January 1, 2006, must be received by the system not later than April 15, 2007, or such date as set forth in the payment schedule mutually adopted by the member and the system.
(b)
Elect, before December 31, 2005, not to pay delinquent employee and employer contributions and applicable interest for service as a constable before January 1, 2006. By making this election, the current or former constable shall irrevocably forfeit that service credit so as to be relieved of the liability for additional employer and employee contributions and applicable interest.
(3)
Where a current or former constable fails to make required contributions as provided in subsection (2)(a) of this section, or where a current or former constable irrevocably elects to forfeit service credit as provided in subsection (2)(b) of this section, all employer and employee contributions previously paid on that service shall be credited to the county as the reporting entity to be distributed as appropriate between the county and the constable or former constable. No further contributions shall be due on that past service and any credit on that past service shall be removed from the member's record and may not be reinstated at any time in the future.
Laws, 2005, ch. 439, § 1; Laws, 2006, ch. 357, § 1, eff. 3/13/2006.
Amended by Laws, 2013, ch. 488, SB 2405, 1, eff. 10/1/2013.