(1) If a participating public employer is grouped with any other public employer for the purpose of computing employer contributions under ORS § 238.225 and the individual public employer makes a lump sum payment that is in addition to the normal employer contribution of the public employer, the Public Employees Retirement Board shall adjust the amount of employer contributions to be made by the individual public employer to ensure that the benefit of the lump sum payment accrues only to the individual public employer making the payment. An individual public employer that makes a lump sum payment under the provisions of this subsection shall remain grouped with other public employers as provided by ORS § 238.227 and 238A.220 for the purpose of all liabilities of the employer that are not paid under this subsection. The board by rule may establish a minimum lump sum payment that must be made by an individual public employer before adjusting employer contributions under this subsection. Notwithstanding any minimum lump sum payment established by the board, the board must allow an individual public employer to make a lump sum payment under this subsection if the payment is equal to the full amount of the individual public employer’s accrued unfunded liabilities under this section and ORS Chapter 238A.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(2) The board shall establish one or more separate accounts within the Public Employees Retirement Fund for one or more lump sum payments made under this section by an individual public employer. The board shall credit to each account all interest and other income received from investment of the account funds during the calendar year. Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the board may not collect any administrative expense or other charge from the account or from earnings on the account. Except as provided in subsections (5) and (6) of this section, the account shall be used to offset contributions to the system that the public employer would otherwise be required to make for the liabilities against which the lump sum payment is applied.

(3) The board may charge a participating public employer expenses for administration of an account established under subsection (2) of this section in an amount not to exceed $2,500 for the calendar year in which the account is established and for the immediately following two calendar years, and in an amount not to exceed $1,000 per year for all subsequent years.

(4) If a participating public employer has any liabilities that are attributable to creditable service by employees of the employer before the participating public employer was grouped with other public employers under ORS § 238.227, whether under this section or pursuant to board rule, any lump sum payment made under this section must be applied first against those liabilities, with the oldest liability being paid first. Any amounts remaining after application under this subsection must be deposited in a separate account established under subsection (2) of this section.

(5) Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, if the board determines at any time after an actuarial study that the amounts in an account established under subsection (2) of this section exceed the amounts necessary to fund the employer’s actuarial liabilities under the system, upon request of the employer, the board shall apply the excess amounts to offset contributions to the individual account program that the employer has agreed to pay under ORS § 238A.335 or 238A.340. The board may apply excess amounts to offset contributions to the individual account program under this subsection only to the extent that the application will not result in the balance in the account being reduced to less than the outstanding principal balance owed on the bonds issued to fund the account. If the request is made by a school district, the school district must attach to the request a copy of a resolution adopted by the district school board for the district authorizing the request. The board shall adopt rules governing offsets under the provisions of this subsection.

(6) The board shall apply any excess amounts in an account established under subsection (2) of this section to offset contributions to the individual account program pursuant to subsection (5) of this section only if the board has determined that applying the excess amounts does not cause the system or the Public Employees Retirement Fund to lose qualification as a qualified governmental retirement plan and trust under the Internal Revenue Code and under regulations adopted pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code. [2005 c.808 § 13; 2009 c.889 § 1; 2017 c.746 § 10a]

[Formerly 237.017 (2); repealed by 2001 c.945 § 15]

[2005 c.808 § 14; renumbered 238.235 in 2019]