2023 Texas Statutes › Vernon's Civil Statutes › Title 109 - Pensions › Article 6243e.2(1). Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund in Municipalities of at Least 1,600,000 Population › Section 13B. Risk Sharing Valuation Studies

Sec. 13B.  RISK SHARING VALUATION STUDIES.  (a)  The fund and the municipality shall separately cause their respective actuaries to prepare a risk sharing valuation study in accordance with this section and actuarial standards of practice.  A risk sharing valuation study must:
(1)  be dated as of the first day of the fiscal year in which the study is required to be prepared;
(2)  be included in the fund's standard valuation study prepared annually for the fund;
(3)  calculate the unfunded actuarial accrued liability of the fund;
(4)  be based on actuarial data provided by the fund actuary or, if actuarial data is not provided, on estimates of actuarial data;
(5)  estimate the municipal contribution rate, taking into account any adjustments required under Section 13E or 13F of this article for all applicable prior fiscal years;
(6)  subject to Subsection (g) of this section, be based on the following assumptions and methods that are consistent with actuarial standards of practice:
(A)  an ultimate entry age normal actuarial method;
(B)  for purposes of determining the actuarial value of assets:
(i)  except as provided by Subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph and Section 13E(c)(1) or 13F(c)(2) of this article, an asset smoothing method recognizing actuarial losses and gains over a five-year period applied prospectively beginning on the year 2017 effective date; and
(ii)  for the initial risk sharing valuation study prepared under Section 13C of this article, a marked-to-market method applied as of June 30, 2016;
(C)  closed layered amortization of liability layers to ensure that the amortization period for each layer begins 12 months after the date of the risk sharing valuation study in which the liability layer is first recognized;
(D)  each liability layer is assigned an amortization period;
(E)  each liability loss layer amortized over a period of 30 years from the first day of the fiscal year beginning 12 months after the date of the risk sharing valuation study in which the liability loss layer is first recognized, except that the legacy liability must be amortized from July 1, 2016, for a 30-year period beginning July 1, 2017;
(F)  the amortization period for each liability gain layer being:
(i)  equal to the remaining amortization period on the largest remaining liability loss layer and the two layers must be treated as one layer such that if the payoff year of the liability loss layer is accelerated or extended, the payoff year of the liability gain layer is also accelerated or extended; or
(ii)  if there is no liability loss layer, a period of 30 years from the first day of the fiscal year beginning 12 months after the date of the risk sharing valuation study in which the liability gain layer is first recognized;
(G)  liability layers, including the legacy liability, funded according to the level percent of payroll method;
(H)  the assumed rate of return, subject to adjustment under Section 13E(c)(2) of this article or, if Section 13C(g) of this article applies, adjustment in accordance with a written agreement, except the assumed rate of return may not exceed seven percent per annum;
(I)  the price inflation assumption as of the most recent actuarial experience study, which may be reset by the board by plus or minus 50 basis points based on that actuarial experience study;
(J)  projected salary increases and payroll growth rate set in consultation with the municipality's finance director; and
(K)  payroll for purposes of determining the corridor midpoint and municipal contribution rate must be projected using the annual payroll growth rate assumption, which for purposes of preparing any amortization schedule may not exceed three percent; and
(7)  be revised and restated, if appropriate, not later than:
(A)  the date required by a written agreement entered into between the municipality and the board; or
(B)  the 30th day after the date required action is taken by the board under Section 13E or 13F of this article to reflect any changes required by either section.
(b)  As soon as practicable after the end of a fiscal year, the fund actuary at the direction of the fund and the municipal actuary at the direction of the municipality shall separately prepare a proposed risk sharing valuation study based on the fiscal year that just ended.
(c)  Not later than September 30 following the end of the fiscal year, the fund shall provide to the municipal actuary, under a confidentiality agreement in which the municipal actuary agrees to comply with the confidentiality provisions of Section 17 of this article, the actuarial data described by Subsection (a)(4) of this section.
(d)  Not later than the 150th day after the last day of the fiscal year:
(1)  the fund actuary, at the direction of the fund, shall provide the proposed risk sharing valuation study prepared by the fund actuary under Subsection (b) of this section to the municipal actuary; and
(2)  the municipal actuary, at the direction of the municipality, shall provide the proposed risk sharing valuation study prepared by the municipal actuary under Subsection (b) of this section to the fund actuary.
(e)  Each actuary described by Subsection (d) of this section may provide copies of the proposed risk sharing valuation studies to the municipality or to the fund, as appropriate.
(f)  If, after exchanging proposed risk sharing valuation studies under Subsection (d) of this section, it is found that the difference between the estimated municipal contribution rate recommended in the proposed risk sharing valuation study prepared by the fund actuary and the estimated municipal contribution rate recommended in the proposed risk sharing valuation study prepared by the municipal actuary for the corresponding fiscal year is:
(1)  less than or equal to two percentage points, the estimated municipal contribution rate recommended by the fund actuary will be the estimated municipal contribution rate for purposes of Subsection (a)(5) of this section, and the proposed risk sharing valuation study prepared for the fund is considered to be the final risk sharing valuation study for the fiscal year for the purposes of this article; or
(2)  greater than two percentage points, the municipal actuary and the fund actuary shall have 20 business days to reconcile the difference, provided that, without the mutual agreement of both actuaries, the difference in the estimated municipal contribution rate recommended by the municipal actuary and the estimated municipal contribution rate recommended by the fund actuary may not be further increased and:
(A)  if, as a result of reconciliation efforts under this subdivision, the difference is reduced to less than or equal to two percentage points:
(i)  subject to any adjustments under Section 13E or 13F of this article, as applicable, the estimated municipal contribution rate proposed under the reconciliation by the fund actuary will be the estimated municipal contribution rate for purposes of Subsection (a)(5) of this section; and
(ii)  the fund's risk sharing valuation study is considered to be the final risk sharing valuation study for the fiscal year for the purposes of this article; or
(B)  if, after 20 business days, the fund actuary and the municipal actuary are not able to reach a reconciliation that reduces the difference to an amount less than or equal to two percentage points, subject to any adjustments under Section 13E or 13F of this article, as applicable:
(i)  the municipal actuary at the direction of the municipality and the fund actuary at the direction of the fund each shall deliver to the finance director of the municipality and the executive director of the fund a final risk sharing valuation study with any agreed-to changes, marked as the final risk sharing valuation study for each actuary; and
(ii)  not later than the 90th day before the first day of the next fiscal year, the finance director and the executive director shall execute a joint addendum to the final risk sharing valuation study received under Subparagraph (i) of this paragraph that is a part of the final risk sharing valuation study for the fiscal year for all purposes and reflects the arithmetic average of the estimated municipal contribution rates for the fiscal year stated by the municipal actuary and the fund actuary in the final risk sharing valuation study for purposes of Subsection (a)(5) of this section.
(g)  The assumptions and methods used and the types of actuarial data and financial information used to prepare the initial risk sharing valuation study under Section 13C of this article shall be used to prepare each subsequent risk sharing valuation study under this section, unless changed based on the actuarial experience study conducted under Section 13D of this article.
(h)  The actuarial data provided under Subsection (a)(4) of this section may not include the identifying information of individual members.