2023 Texas Statutes › Vernon's Civil Statutes › Title 109 - Pensions › Article 6243h. Municipal Pension System in Cities of 1,500,000 or More › Section 8C. Initial Risk Sharing Valuation Studies; Corridor Midpoint and City Contribution Amounts

Sec. 8C.  INITIAL RISK SHARING VALUATION STUDIES; CORRIDOR MIDPOINT AND CITY CONTRIBUTION AMOUNTS.  (a)  The pension system and the city shall separately cause their respective actuaries to prepare an initial risk sharing valuation study that is dated as of July 1, 2016, in accordance with this section.  An initial risk sharing valuation study must:
(1)  except as otherwise provided by this section, be prepared in accordance with Section 8B of this Act, and for purposes of Section 8B(a)(4) of this Act, be based on actuarial data as of June 30, 2016, or, if actuarial data is not provided, on estimates of actuarial data;
(2)  project the corridor midpoint for 31 fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017; and
(3)  subject to Subsections (i) and (j) of this section, include a schedule of city contribution amounts for 30 fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017.
(b)  If the initial risk sharing valuation study has not been prepared consistent with this section before the year 2017 effective date, as soon as practicable after the year 2017 effective date:
(1)  the pension system shall provide to the city actuary under a confidentiality agreement the necessary actuarial data used by the pension system actuary to prepare the proposed initial risk sharing valuation study; and
(2)  not later than the 30th day after the date the city's actuary receives the actuarial data:
(A)  the city actuary, at the direction of the city, shall provide a proposed initial risk sharing valuation study to the pension system actuary; and
(B)  the pension system actuary, at the direction of the pension system, shall provide a proposed initial risk sharing valuation study to the city actuary.
(c)  If, after exchanging proposed initial risk sharing valuation studies under Subsection (b)(2) of this section, it is determined that the difference between the estimated total city contribution divided by the pensionable payroll for any fiscal year in the proposed initial risk sharing valuation study prepared by the pension system actuary and in the proposed initial risk sharing valuation study prepared by the city actuary is:
(1)  less than or equal to two percentage points, the estimated city contribution rate and the estimated city contribution amount for that fiscal year recommended by the pension system actuary will be the estimated city contribution rate and the estimated city contribution amount, as applicable, for purposes of Section 8B(a)(5) of this Act; or
(2)  greater than two percentage points, the city actuary and the pension system actuary shall have 20 business days to reconcile the difference and:
(A)  if, as a result of reconciliation efforts under this subdivision, the difference in any fiscal year is reduced to less than or equal to two percentage points, the city contribution rate and the city contribution amount recommended by the pension system actuary for that fiscal year will be the estimated city contribution rate and the estimated city contribution amount, as applicable, for purposes of Section 8B(a)(5) of this Act; or
(B)  if, after 20 business days, the city actuary and the pension system actuary are not able to reach a reconciliation that reduces the difference to an amount less than or equal to two percentage points for any fiscal year:
(i)  the city actuary at the direction of the city and the pension system actuary at the direction of the pension system each shall deliver to the finance director of the city and the executive director of the pension system a final initial risk sharing valuation study with any agreed-to changes, marked as the final initial risk sharing valuation study for each actuary; and
(ii)  the finance director and the executive director shall execute a joint addendum to the final initial risk sharing valuation study that is a part of each final initial risk sharing valuation study for all purposes and that reflects the arithmetic average of the estimated city contribution rate and the estimated city contribution amount for each fiscal year in which the difference was greater than two percentage points for purposes of Section 8B(a)(5) of this Act, and for reporting purposes the pension system may treat the pension system actuary's initial risk sharing valuation study with the addendum as the final initial risk sharing valuation study.
(d)  In preparing the initial risk sharing valuation study, the city actuary and pension system actuary shall:
(1)  adjust the actuarial value of assets to be equal to the market value of assets as of July 1, 2016;
(2)  assume the issuance of planned pension obligation bonds by December 31, 2017, in accordance with Subsection (j)(2) of this section; and
(3)  assume benefit and contribution changes under this Act as of the year 2017 effective date.
(e)  If the city actuary does not prepare an initial risk sharing valuation study for purposes of this section, the pension system actuary's initial risk sharing valuation study will be used as the final risk sharing valuation study for purposes of this Act unless the city did not prepare a proposed initial risk sharing valuation study because the pension system actuary did not provide the necessary actuarial data in a timely manner.  If the city did not prepare a proposed initial risk sharing valuation study because the pension system actuary did not provide the necessary actuarial data in a timely manner, the city actuary shall have 60 days to prepare the proposed initial risk sharing valuation study on receipt of the necessary information.
(f)  If the pension system actuary does not prepare a proposed initial risk sharing valuation study for purposes of this section, the proposed initial risk sharing valuation study prepared by the city actuary will be the final risk sharing valuation study for purposes of this Act.
(g)  The city and the pension board may agree on a written transition plan for resetting the corridor midpoint:
(1)  if at any time the funded ratio is equal to or greater than 100 percent; or
(2)  for any fiscal year after the payoff year of the legacy liability.
(h)  If the city and the pension board have not entered into an agreement described by Subsection (g) of this section in a given fiscal year, the corridor midpoint will be the corridor midpoint determined for the 31st fiscal year in the initial risk sharing valuation study prepared in accordance with this section.
(i)  If the city makes a contribution to the pension system of at least $5 million more than the amount that would be required by Section 8A(a) of this Act, a liability gain layer with the same remaining amortization period as the legacy liability is created.  In each subsequent risk sharing valuation study until the end of that amortization period, the city contribution amount must be decreased by the amortized amount in each fiscal year covered by the liability gain layer.
(j)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, including Section 8H of this Act:
(1)  if the city fails to deliver the proceeds of pension obligation bonds totaling $250 million on or before March 31, 2018, the pension board shall have 30 days from March 31, 2018, to rescind, prospectively, any or all benefit changes made effective under S.B. No. 2190, Acts of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017, as of the year 2017 effective date, or to reestablish the deadline for the delivery of pension obligation bond proceeds, reserving the right to rescind the benefit changes authorized by this subdivision if the bond proceeds are not delivered by the reestablished deadline; and
(2)  subject to Subsection (k) of this section, if the pension board rescinds benefit changes under Subdivision (1) of this subsection or pension obligation bond proceeds are not delivered on or before December 31, 2017, the initial risk sharing valuation study shall be prepared again and restated without assuming the delivery of the pension obligation bond proceeds, the later delivery of pension obligation bond proceeds, or the rescinded benefit changes, as applicable, including a reamortization of the city contribution amount for the amortization period remaining for the legacy liability, and the resulting city contribution rate and city contribution amount will become effective in the fiscal year following the completion of the restated initial risk sharing valuation study.
(k)  The restated initial risk sharing valuation study required under Subsection (j)(2) of this section must be completed at least 30 days before the start of the fiscal year:
(1)  ending June 30, 2019, if the pension board does not reestablish the deadline under Subsection (j)(1) of this section; or
(2)  immediately following the reestablished deadline, if the pension board reestablishes the deadline under Subsection (j)(1) of this section and the city fails to deliver the pension obligation bond proceeds described by Subsection (j)(1) of this section by the reestablished deadline.