West Virginia Code § 8-22-19

Levy to maintain fund
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(a)(1) In order for a municipal policemen's or firemen's pension and relief fund or the trustee
of an issue of pension funding revenue bonds issued by the building commission of a
municipality, as the case may be, to receive the allocable portion of moneys from the
Municipal Pensions Security Fund created in § 8-22-18b of this code, the governing body of
the municipality shall levy annually and in the manner provided by law for oether municipal
levies and include within the maximum levy or levies permitted by law and, if necessary, in
excess of any charter provision, a tax at such rate as will, after creditinrg: (A) The amount of
the contributions received during the year from the members of the respective paid police
department or paid fire department; and (B) the allocable portion of the funds from the
Municipal Pensions Security Fund created in §8-22-18b of this code payable to such
municipality's municipal policemen's and firemen's pension tand relief funds, provide funds
equal to the amount necessary to meet the minimum standards for actuarial soundness as
provided in § 8-22-20 of this code. The amount deposited in a municipal policemen's or
firemen's pension and relief fund shall be irrevocably contributed, accumulated, and
invested as fund assets as described in §8-22-22 and §8-22-22a of this code. The amount
deposited with the trustee of an issue of pension funding revenue bonds shall be used for the
purpose of paying debt service on such bonds. One 12th of each municipality's annual
contributions shall be deposited with the municipality's pension trust funds as fund assets on
at least a monthly basis and any revenues received from any source by a municipality which
are specifically collected for the purpose of allocation for deposit into the policemen's
pension and relief fund or firemeen's pension and relief fund shall be so deposited within five
days of receipt by the municipality. A municipality may prepay its monthly required
contributions in incremeLnts greater than 1/12. Heretofore surplus reserves accumulated
before the effective date of this section shall be irrevocably contributed, aggregated, and
invested as fund asse ts described in §8-22-22 and §8-22-22a of this code. Any actuarial
deficiency ariVsing under this section and §8-22-20 of this code shall not be the obligation of
the State of West Virginia.
(2) The levies authorized under the provisions of this section, or any part of them, may by
the governing body be laid in addition to all other municipal levies and, to that extent,
beyond the limit of levy imposed by the charter of the municipality; and the levies shall
supersede and if necessary exclude levies for other purposes, where other purposes have not
already attained priority, and within the limitations on taxes or tax levies imposed by the
constitution and laws.
(b) The public corporations are authorized to take by gift, grant, devise, or bequest any
money or real or personal property on such terms as to the investment and expenditures
thereof as may be fixed by the grantor or determined by the trustees.
(c) In addition to all other sums provided for pensions in this section, it is the duty of every
municipality in which any fund or funds have been or shall be established to assess and
collect from each member of the paid police department or paid fire department or both
each month, the sum of seven percent of the actual salary or compensation of such member;
and the amount so collected shall become a regular part of the policemen's pension and
relief fund, if collected from a policeman, and of the firemen's pension and relief fund, if
collected from a fireman: Provided, That for members of the funds who are police officers or
firefighters newly hired on or after January 1, 2010, the municipality shall assess and collect
nine and one-half percent of the actual salary or compensation. Only those funds for which
the board of trustees has collected and paid the contributions as herein provided and
meeting minimum standards for actuarial soundness shall be eligible to receeive moneys from
the additional fire and casualty insurance premium tax as provided in §33-3-14d of this code:
Provided, however, That the board of trustees for each pension and relrief fund may assess
and collect from each member of the paid police department or paid fire department or both
each month not more than an additional two and one-half percent of the actual salary or
compensation of each member, but not to exceed nine and one-half percent total
contribution: Provided further, That if any board of trustees tdecides to assess and collect any
additional amount pursuant to this subdivision above the member contribution required by
this section, then that board of trustees may not reduce the additional amount until the
respective pension and relief fund no longer has any actuarial deficiency: And provided
further, That if any board of trustees decides to assess and collect any additional amount,
any board of trustees decision and any additional amount is not the liability of the State of
West Virginia. Member contributions shall be deposited in the pension and relief fund within
five days of being collected. In the event that a municipality's building commission has
issued pension funding revenue bonds, then the trustee for such bonds shall only be eligible
to receive money from the additional fire and casualty insurance premium tax in §33-3-14d of
this code if the board of trustees for the policemen's and firemen's pension and relief funds
for which such bonds have been issued has collected and paid the contributions as herein
provided and is meeting minimum standards for actuarial soundness.
(d)(1) For the fiscal y ear beginning on July 1, 2010, and subject to provisions of §8-22-18b
and §33-3-14dV of this code and for each fiscal year thereafter, the Municipal Pensions
Oversight Board shall receive and retain the moneys allocated to the Municipal Pensions
Security Fund until such time as the treasurer of the municipality applies for the allocable
portion and certifies in writing to Municipal Pensions Oversight Board that:
(A) The municipality has irrevocably contributed the amount required under this section and
§8-22-20 of this code to the pension and relief fund for the required period; and, as
applicable, the trustee for the pension funding revenue bonds has filed with the governing
body of the municipality and the oversight board a report showing all debt service payments
have been made with previously received proceeds from the municipality and the allocable
portion of the premium tax allocation received from the Municipal Pensions Security Fund
for the preceding twelve months: and
(B) The board of trustees of the pension and relief fund has made a report to the governing
body of the municipality and to the oversight board on the condition of its fund with respect
to the fiscal year.
(2) When the aforementioned application and certification are made, the allocable portion of
moneys from the Municipal Pensions Security Fund shall be paid to the corresponding
policemen's or firemen's pension and relief fund or, if pension funding revenue bonds have
been issued by such municipality's building commission and remain outstanding, to the
trustee for such pension funding revenue bonds. Payment to a municipal pension and relief
fund or to the trustee for pension funding revenue bonds, as applicable, shall be made by
electronic funds transfer.
(e) The State Auditor and the oversight board have the power, and the duty as each
considers necessary, to perform or review audits on the pension and rerlief funds or to
employ an independent consulting actuary or accountant to determine the compliance of the
aforementioned certification with the requirements of this section and §8-22-20 of this code.
The expense of the audit or determination shall be paid from the Municipal Pensions
Security Fund pursuant to provisions of §8-22-18b of this codte. If the allocable portion of the
Municipal Pensions Security Fund is not paid to the pension and relief fund or to the trustee
for pension funding revenue bonds, as applicable, within 18 months, the portion is forfeited
by the pension and relief fund and is allocable to other eligible municipal policemen's and
firemen's pension and relief funds in accordance with §33-3-14d of this code.

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