HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance 14641e
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ORDINANCE NO
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCES NOS 13543, AS
PREVIOUSLY AMENDED BY ORDINANCE NOS 13672, 13673,
13674 AND 13842, CODIFIED AS CHAPTER 2, ARTICLE VI,
DIVISION 1, ENTITLED "EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT FUND," OF
THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH (1986), AS
AMENDED, WHICH ORDINANCES ESTABLISH AND PROVIDE
FOR A RETIREMENT SYSTEM, RETIREMENT PLAN AND
BENEFITS THEREUNDER FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY OF
FORT WORTH, PROVIDING AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER
OF DIRECTORS SERVING AS THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
THE FUND OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, MODIFYING THE
EMPLOYEE GROUPS FROM WHICH DIRECTORS ARE
ELECTED, MODIFYING THE ELECTION PROCEDURES FOR
EMPLOYEE AND RETIREE BOARD MEMBERS, PROVIDING AN
ETHICS CODE TO BE FOLLOWED BY ALL BOARD MEMBERS,
AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
WORTH, TEXAS
That Ordinance No 13543, as previously amended by Ordinance Nos
13672, 13673, 13674 and 13842, codified as Chapter 2, Article VI, Division 1 of
the Code of the City of Fort Worth (collectively the "Retirement Ordinance"), is
hereby amended as follows
SECTION 1
Chapter 2, Article VI, Division 1, Section 2-214, (" Administration") of the
Retirement Ordinance is amended by deleting Section A, "Board of Directors"
and substituting the following language in lieu thereof
Sec.2-214 ADMINISTRATION
A. Board of Directors
The Fund shall be administered by a Board to be known as
the "Board of Directors of the Employees' Retirement Fund
of the City of Fort Worth "The Board shall consist of eleven
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(11) voting directors designated as Place 1, Place 2, Place
3, Place 4, Place 5, Place 6, Place 7, Place 8, Place 9, Place
10, and Place 11, respectively A voting director's term shall
be for two (2) years, subject to Sections 2-214A(1)(a) and
(b) Directors shall be selected as follows
(1) Directors Elected By Emplo r~ees
Seven (7) directors who are Members of the Fund
shall be elected by the employees of the City who are
also Members of the Fund, said seven (7) directors
shall serve in Places 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7,
respectively Each of the directors shall be elected by
one of the six (6) employee groups of the City as
follows
Place 1 The director for Place 1 shall be elected
by Employee Group A, which shall
consist of those Members of the Fund
who are assigned to work in the Police
Department of the City Only Members
of the Fund who qualify for Employee
Group A shall be eligible to vote for a
nominee for Place 1 Only Members of
the Fund who qualify for Employee
Group A shall be eligible to serve. on
Place 1 of the Board
Place 2 The director for Place 2 shall be elected
by Employee Group A, which shall
consist of those Members of the Fund
who are assigned to work in the Police
Department of the City Only Members
of the Fund who qualify for Employee
Group A shall be eligible to vote for a
nominee for Place 2 Only Members of
the Fund who qualify for Employee
Group A shall be eligible to serve on
Place 2 of the Board
Place 3 The director for Place 3 shall be elected
by Employee Group B, which shall
consist of those Members of the Fund
who are assigned to work in the Water
and Sewer Department of the City Only
Members of the Fund who qualify for
Employee Group B shall be eligible to
vote for a nominee for Place 3 Only
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Members of the Fund who qualify for
Employee Group B shall be eligible to
serve on Place 3 of the Board
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by Employee Group C, which shall
consist of those Members of the Fund
who are assigned to work in the Fire,
Department of the City Only Members
of the Fund who qualify for Employee
Group C shall be eligible to vote for a
nominee for Place 4 Only Members of
the Fund who qualify for Employee
Group C shall be eligible to serve on
Place 4 of the Board
Place 5 The director for Place 5 shall be elected
by Employee Group D, which shall
consist of those Members of the Fund
who are assigned to work in the Library,
Parks and Community Services, Golf,
Culture and Tourism, Public Events and
Public Health Departments of the City
Only Members of the Fund who qualify
for Employee Group D shall be eligible
to vote for a nominee for Place 5 Only
Members of the Fund who qualify for
Employee Group D shall be eligible to
serve on Place 5 of the Board
Place 6 The director for Place 6 shall be elected
from Employee Group E, which shall
consist of those Members of the Fund
who are assigned to work in the City
Services, Solid Waste, Equipment
Services, Aviation, Environmental
Management and Transportation/Public
Works Departments of the City Only
Members of the Fund who qualify for
Employee Group E shall be eligible to
vote for a nominee for Place 6 Only
Members of the Fund who qualify for
Employee Group E shall be eligible to
serve on Place 6 of the Board
Place 7 The director for Place 7 shall be elected
by Employee Group F, which shall
consist of those Members of the Fund
who are assigned to work in all other
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Departments of the City not specified in
Employee Groups A, B, C, D, and E
Only Members of the Fund who qualify
for Employee Group F shall be eligible
to vote for a nominee for Place 7 Only
Members of the Fund who qualify for
Employee Group F shall be eligible to
serve on Place 7 of the Board
a Term
In accordance with the nomination and election
procedures prescribed in this Section, directors
shall be elected to Places 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and
7, and shall serve for a two (2) year term
Directors 1, 3, 5, and 7 shall be elected every
odd numbered year beginning in 2001, and
shall serve from October 1 of such odd
numbered year through September 30 of the
next odd numbered year Places 2, 4, and 6
shall be elected in 2001, and thereafter, every
even numbered year and shall serve from
October 1 of such even numbered year
through September 30 of the next even
numbered year Should the employment
status of any employee elected director change
so that said director is no longer a member of
the employee group from which the director
was elected, then said director shall
automatically forfeit the office of director
Should a vacancy occur, for whatever reason,
in Place 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, during the term
thereof, then a majority of all directors
remaining on the Board shall appoint to the
Board a qualified employee from the employee
group whose place has been vacated, which
qualified employee shall serve the remainder of
the unexpired term, provided, however, that if,
at the time the vacancy arises, more than one
year remains in the unexpired term, then in lieu
of the Board appointing a replacement director,
there shall be an election pursuant to the
nomination and election provisions set forth
below, with the Board making reasonable
modifications in the dates and time frames for
the nomination and election in light of the time
of the vacancy
Beginning with Board terms commencing
October 1, 2003 and after, a director may not
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serve on the Board for more than three (3)
consecutive terms, regardless of whether that
director wishes to serve on the Board in the
same Place or a different Place, including
Places 8 or 9 In addition, notwithstanding
anything interpreted to the contrary herein, a
director whose term expires on September 30,
2003 or September 30, 2004 will be ineligible
to run for reelection if that director has
previously served for six or more consecutive
years For purposes of this subsection, the
term "reelection" shall only apply to a director
who is running for another term, whether for
the same Place or a different Place,
immediately following the expiration of that
director's then-current term and shall not apply
to an individual seeking election to the Board
who did not serve on the Board during the
immediately preceding term, even if that
individual at one time served six (6) or more
consecutive terms on the Board "
b Method of Nominating Active Members For
Election
Nominations of active Members for election to
the Board of Directors shall be by petition only
Before July 1 of each election year, the
Executive Director shall make available to
employees of each employee group eligible to
vote in the scheduled election, petition forms
with written instructions Petitions containing
the names of nominees shall be returned to the
Executive Director prior to July 15 of said
election year Nominees may use copies of the
petition form or may create their own petition
forms, provided each page of each returned
petition shall identify the name of the nominee,
the Department in which the nominee is
employed, the employee group of which the
nominee is a member, and place on the Board
of directors for which the employee is being
nominated No person's name shall be placed
upon the official ballot as a nominee unless
that person is nominated by petition Said
nominating petition must contain the signature
and employee number of at least one hundred
(100) members of the employee group who are
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qualified to vote for said place on the date said
petition is submitted to the Executive Director
Only those employees who are Members of the
Fund shall be entitled to be listed upon the
official ballot as a nominee No person's name
shall be placed upon the official ballot as a
nominee for Place 1 unless that person is a
member of Employee Group A. No person's
name shall be placed upon the official ballot as
a nominee for Place 2 unless that person is a
member of Employee Group A. No person's
name shall be placed upon the official ballot as
a nominee for Place 3 unless that person is a
member of Employee Group B No person's
name shall be placed upon the official ballot as
a nominee for Place 4 unless that person is a
member of Employee Group C No person's
name shall be placed upon the official ballot as
a nominee for Place 5 unless that person is a
member of Employee Group D No person's
name shall be placed upon the official ballot as
a nominee for Place 6 unless that person is a
member of Employee Group E No person's
name shall be placed upon the official ballot as
a nominee for Place 7 unless that person is a
member of Employee Group F
c Method of Electing Employee Directors
The Executive Director shall prepare an official
ballot for each place, listing in alphabetical
order according to surname the nominees for
election to that place If, however, there is only
one nominee for any place, there shall be no
election for that place, and such nominee shall
automatically be elected to the Board of
Directors Only the names of those persons
who are nominated by petition as prescribed
herein shall be placed upon the official ballot.
No person shall be elected as a director whose
name does not appear upon the official ballot
as a nominee Ballots shall be made available
to the Members no later than the first payday in
August in such manner as to allow each
member an opportunity to vote by secret ballot.
Each employee qualified to vote in said
election shall vote for one nominee only in
each Place that the employee is qualified to
vote Employees in Employee Group A shall
vote for nominees to Place 1 and Place 2 Any
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ballot containing votes of two (2) or more
persons, or for persons who are not nominees
as prescribed herein, shall be declared invalid,
and shall not be counted All ballots must be
returned to the Executive Director no later than
ten (10) days after the first payday in August,
at which time the Executive Director shall
tabulate all votes for all nominees The
nominee for each place who receives a
majority of the votes cast for that place shall be
declared elected to the Board of Directors
Following the tabulation of votes, the Executive
Director shall submit the result of same to the
Board of Directors at a meeting to be held
before September 1 of said election year, at
which time the Board shall canvass the results
of said election and certify which nominees are
elected to the Board of Directors If at the time
of canvassing said results, the nominee
receiving the majority of votes for said place is
no longer eligible to serve on the place to
which that nominee was elected, then the
nominee finishing second in the election shall
be certified by the Board as elected to the
Board of Directors
If there is more than one nominee and no
nominee receives a majority of the votes cast
for any one place, or if there is a tie for any one
place, then arun-off election shall be held on
the first payday in September, at which time
ballots shall be made available to the Members
qualified to vote for that place in the same
manner as prescribed for the first election
Only the names of candidates who tied for the
highest number of votes cast for that place in
the first election, or the two (2) candidates who
received the highest number of votes with
neither having a majority of votes cast for that
place, shall be printed on the ballot for the run-
off election All ballots for the second election
must be returned to the Executive Director no
later than ten (10) days after the first payday in
September, at which time the Executive
Director shall tabulate the votes for the
candidates in the run-off election The
candidate receiving the highest number of
votes cast for that place in the run-off election
shall be declared elected to the Board of
Directors
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In the event of a tie vote at the second election,
the candidates who tie shall cast lots in the
presence of the Board of Directors to
determine which one shall be declared elected
Following the tabulation of votes in the run-off
election, and the casting of lots in case of ties,
the Executive Director shall submit the results
of same to the Board of Directors at a meeting
to be held before October 1 of said election
year, at which time the Board shall canvass the
results of the run-off election and certify which
nominees are elected to the Board of Directors
If at the time of canvassing the results of the
run-off election, the nominee elected to serve
on said Board is no longer eligible to serve on
the place to which he or she was elected, then
the nominee finishing second in the election
shall be certified by the Board as elected to the
Board of Directors
(2) Directors Elected b Retired Members
Place 8_ The director for Place 8 shall be elected by
Retiree Group A, which shall consist of those
retired Members of the Fund from Employee
Groups A and C Only Members of the Fund
who qualify for Retiree Group A shall be
eligible to vote for a nominee for Place 8 Only
Members of the Fund who qualify for Retiree
Group A shall be eligible to serve on Place 8 of
the Board
Place 9 The director for Place 9 shall be elected by
Retiree Group B, which shall consist of those
retired Members of the Fund from Employee
Groups B, D, E, and F Only Members of the
Fund who qualify for Retiree Group B shall be
eligible to vote for a nominee for Place 9 Only
Members of the Fund who qualify for Retiree
Group B shall be eligible to serve on Place 9 of
the Board
a Term
In accordance with the nomination and election
procedures prescribed in this section, a
director shall be elected to Places 8 and 9, and
shall serve for atwo-year term A director for
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Place 8 shall be elected every even numbered
year and shall serve from October 1 of such
even numbered year through September 30 of
the next even numbered year Beginning in
2001, a director for Place 9 shall be elected
every odd numbered year and shall serve from
October 1 of such odd numbered year through
September 30 of the next odd numbered year
Should a director return to City employment
and again become an Employee Member of
the Fund, the director shall automatically forfeit
the office of director Should a vacancy occur
in Place 8 or 9, during the term thereof, then a
majority of all directors remaining on the Board
shall appoint to the Board a retired Member of
Retiree Group A if the vacancy occurs in Place
8 or a retired member of Retiree Group B if the
vacancy occurs in Place 9 to serve the
remainder of the unexpired term
Beginning with Board terms commencing
October 1, 2003 and after, a director may not
serve on the Board for more than three (3)
consecutive terms, regardless of whether that
director wishes to serve on the Board in the
same Place or a different Place In addition,
notwithstanding anything interpreted to the
contrary herein, a director whose term expires
on September 30, 2003 or September 30, 2004
will be ineligible to run for reelection if that
director has previously served for six or more
consecutive years For purposes of this
subsection, the term "reelection" shall only
apply to a director who is running for another
term, whether for the same Place or a different
Place, immediately following the expiration of
that director's then-current term and shall not
apply to an individual seeking election to the
Board who did not serve on the Board during
the immediately preceding term, even if that
individual at one time served six (6) or more
consecutive terms on the Board "
b Nomination of Retiree Members for Election
Nomination of the retired Members for election
to the Board shall be by letter of nomination
only Before July 1 of each election year, the
Executive Director shall make available to
retired Members official letter of nomination
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forms with written instructions Copies of the
letter of nomination may be used Completed
letters of nomination shall be returned to the
Executive Director prior to July 15 of each
election year Each returned letter of
nomination shall identify the retired member
being nominated for the Place for which the
retired Member is being nominated and must
contain the signature and retired employee's
Social Security Number of the retired member
making the nomination Any Member of Retiree
Group A receiving at least twenty-five (25)
letters of nomination from Retiree Group A
shall be considered a nominee for election to
Place 8 on the Board Any retired Member of
Retiree Group B receiving at least twenty-five
(25) letters of nomination from Retiree Group B
shall be considered a nominee for election to
Place 9 on the Board No person shall be
placed on the ballot as a nominee unless the
person is a retired Member who is nominated
by letter of nomination Only retired Members
may complete letters of nomination
c. Election of Retiree Board Members
The Executive Director shall prepare official
ballots for the election of the retiree Board
Members, listing the nominees in alphabetical
order by surname Ballots for election of the
retiree Board Members shall be mailed to all
retired Members in Retiree Group A or Retiree
Group B no later than August 1 of each
election year If there is only one nominee for
Place 8, there shall be no election for Place 8,
and the one nominee shall automatically be
elected to the Board of Directors If there is
only one nominee for Place 9, there shall be no
election for Place 9, and the one nominee shall
automatically be elected to the Board of
Directors Only the names of those persons
who are nominated by letters of nomination
shall be placed on the official ballots No
person shall be elected as director whose
name does not appear on the official ballots as
a nominee To be considered valid, a cast
ballot must be returned to the Executive
Director by mail and postmarked no later than
August 15 of the election year .Each retired
Member qualified to vote in the election shall
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vote for one nominee only Any ballot
containing votes for two (2) or more persons,
or for persons who are not nominees as
provided herein, shall be declared invalid and
shall not be counted The Executive Director
shall tabulate all votes for all nominees The
nominees for each Place receiving a majority
of votes cast shall be declared elected to the
Board of Directors Following the tabulation of
votes, the Executive Director shall submit the
results of same to the Board of Directors
meeting to be held before September 1 of the
election year, at which time the Board shall
canvass the results of the election and certify
which nominees are elected to the Board of
Directors If at the time of canvassing the
results, a nominee receiving the majority of
votes is no longer eligible to serve, then a
majority of the directors remaining on the
Board shall appoint to the Board a retired
Member from the appropriate Retiree Group to
fill Place 8 or 9 on the Board The appointed
Member shall serve from October 1 of such
even-numbered year through September 30 of
the next even-numbered year
If there is more than one nominee for a Place
and no nominee receives a majority of the
votes cast, or if there is a tie, then arun-off
election shall be held and ballots shall be
mailed to the retired Members for that Place no
later than September 7 Only the names of
candidates who tied for the highest number of
votes cast for that place in the first election, or
the two (2) candidates who received the
highest number of votes with neither having a
majority of votes cast, shall be printed on the
ballot for the run-off election All ballots for the
second election must be returned to the
Executive Director no later than September 21,
at which time the Executive Director shall
tabulate the votes for the candidates in the run-
off election The candidate receiving the
highest number of votes cast in the run-off
election shall be declared elected to the Board
of Directors
In the event of a tie vote at the second election,
the candidates who tie shall cast lots in the
presence of the Board of Directors to
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determine which one shall be declared elected
Following the tabulation of votes in the run-off
election, and the casting of lots in case of ties,
the Executive Director shall submit the results
of same to the Board of Directors at a meeting
to be held before October 1 of said election
year, at which time the Board shall canvass the
results of the run-off election and certify which
nominees are elected to the Board of Directors
If at the time of canvassing the results of the
run-off election, the nominee elected to serve
on said Board is no longer eligible to serve,
then a majority of the directors remaining on
said Board shall appoint to the Board a retired
member from the appropriate retiree Group to
fill Place 8 or Place 9 on the Board The
appointed member shall serve from October 1
of such even-numbered year through
September 30 of the next even-numbered
year
(3) Board Members Appointed By The City Council
Place 10 The director for Place 10 shall be a member of
the City Council or a resident of the City of Fort
Worth with experience in pension, investments,
or human resources matters and shall be
appointed by the City Council to serve a term
of two (2) years (unless removed sooner by a
majority of the City Council) commencing on
October 1 of every even numbered year
Beginning in 2003, no director shall be
appointed for Place 10 if, as of the
commencement date of the respective term,
that individual would have served on the Board
for six (6) or more consecutive years, whether
in Place 10 or in a different Place Should a
vacancy occur in Place 10, then a majority of
the City Council shall appoint another member
of City Council to serve the remainder of the
unexpired term
Place 11 The director for Place 11 shall be the Finance
Director of the City of Fort Worth or a vested
member of the Fund and shall be appointed by
the City Council to serve a term of two (2)
years (unless removed sooner by a majority of
the City Council), commencing on October 1 of
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every even numbered year Beginning in 2003,
no director shall be appointed for Place 11, if
as of the commencement date of the
respective term, that individual would have
served on the Board for six (6) or more
consecutive years, whether in Place 11 or in a
different Place Should this appointed director
cease to be a resident of the City of Fort Worth
or should a vacancy occur in Place 11, then a
majority of the City Council shall appoint a
qualified person to serve the remainder of the
unexpired term
SECTION 2
Chapter 2, Article VI, Division 1, Section 2-214, "Administration," of the of
the Retirement Ordinance is amended by adding Section C, "Code of Ethics," to
wit:
B CODE OF ETHICS
Scope The Board of Directors ("Board") of the
Employees' Retirement Fund of the City of Fort
Worth ("Fund") is obligated to administer the
Fund as a trust fund solely in the best interest
of all participants and beneficiaries In the
performance of this obligation, the Board is
required to administer the Fund in accordance
with the provisions of the Retirement
Ordinance and other federal, state and local
laws, ordinances, rules and regulations In
furtherance of the Board's obligation to
administer the Fund solely in the best interests
of all Members, pensioners and qualified
survivors, this Code of Ethics shall provide
assistance in clarifying certain obligations of
the Board and certain other affected persons in
the carrying out of their duties
Under applicable federal and state laws and
regulations, the Fund is a trust fund to be
administered solely in the interests of and for
the exclusive purpose of providing benefits to
the participants and beneficiaries thereof and
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to defray reasonable administrative expenses
of the Fund In the performance of these
duties, all directors, officers, employees and
other fiduciaries of the Fund are subject to the
"prudent person rule", which requires that
they exercise their duties "with the care, skill,
prudence and diligence under the prevailing
circumstances that a prudent person acting in
alike capacity and familiar with matters of the
type would use in the conduct of an
enterprise with a like character and like aims "
Further, all fiduciaries of the Fund shall
maintain high ethical and moral character,
both professionally and personally, such that
the conduct of all fiduciaries shall not reflect
negatively upon the Board or the Fund
Prohibited Transactions
1 No fiduciary of the Fund shall receive compensation
from any person or entity in connection with any
action involving assets of the Funds
2 No fiduciary of the Fund shall participate in a decision
or action involving any asset or benefit for his or her
own interest.
3 No fiduciary of the Fund shall engage in the
purchase, sale exchange or lease of property with the
Fund if that fiduciary holds an interest in the property
4 No fiduciary of the Fund shall knowingly cause or
permit the Fund to engage in any transactions
described in the Prohibited Transactions Section
with any relative, business associate of the fiduciary,
any other fiduciary, employee or official of the City of
Fort worth It is expressly understood that affiliates of
certain investment managers may, with the Board's
approval, provide certain ancillary services with
regard to property recommended by such manager
and acquired by the Fund
5 The provisions of the Prohibited Transactions
Section are cumulative of any other actions
prohibited elsewhere in this Code of Ethics
Fiduciary Duties
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1 In making or participating in decisions relating to
the Fund, a fiduciary shall give appropriate
consideration to those facts and circumstances
reasonably available to the fiduciary which are
relevant to the particular decision
2 In making decisions relating to the Fund, a
fiduciary shall make a determination that the
particular investment or course of action is
reasonably designed to further the purposes of
the Fund, taking into consideration the risk of loss
and the opportunity for gain or other return
3 Fiduciaries of the Fund shall keep adequate
records of all investment and benefit decisions
sufficient to provide documentation of those
decisions for future reference
4 If a fiduciary is present at any time a decision is
being made concerning any investment, benefit
or other action in which the fiduciary has a
personal interest, the fiduciary shall disclose the
interest and refrain from participation in the
decision or discussion concerning the action,
including abstention from voting in regard to such
action
5 Conflict of interest affidavits shall be completed
annually and a record of voting abstentions shall
be maintained outlining the basis for such
abstentions
6 In the conduct of all decision-making regarding
the Fund, it is understood that persons may
contact a fiduciary of the Fund to provide
information believed to be pertinent to a
respective matter As a result, Board Members
shall endeavor to keep an open mind on all
matters that are subject to Board deliberation
Pending such deliberation, no remark of any
Board member shall be construed as any
commitment to any person or entity regarding his
or her vote or the Board's ultimate decision
Gifts, Trips And Other Benefits
1 Acceptance and Disclosure of Benefits
Received by Fiduciaries
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All fiduciaries shall be careful about their
acceptance of any gifts, including food and
entertainment, trips and other benefits
(collectively "Benefits") paid for or provided by
persons or entities that receive or prospectively
may receive compensation from the Fund in
return for services provided (collectively "Service
Providers") To this end, in accordance with this
Gode of Ethics, a fiduciary shall report any
Benefit he or she receives from a current or
prospective Service Provider, either directly or
indirectly, if the Benefit reasonably has more
than a nominal or minimal fair market value, and
shall not accept a Benefit from a current or
prospective Service Provider, either directly or
indirectly, if the Benefit reasonably has a fair
market value in excess of $250 unless (i) a
majority of the Board approves receipt of the
Benefit in an open meeting and in advance of
receipt or (ii) this Code of Ethics directly permits
receipt of such benefit.
2 Disclosure and Voting
A fiduciary shall not participate in any action or
decision relating to the Fund that could affect the
financial interest of the source of the Benefit or
Benefits if the fiduciary has in the preceding
twelve (12) months received from such source
Benefits with an aggregate value in excess of
$250, excluding Benefits received as provided in
"Benefits Received In Conjunction with Approved
Conferences or Seminars" Section
3 Benefits Received in Conjunction with Approved
Conferences or Seminars.
Attendance by fiduciaries at events sponsored or
paid for by service providers that involve some
entertainment or recreation may be in the best
interests of the Fund Therefore, notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in this Code of Ethics,
fiduciaries who attend a conference, seminar or
similar meeting in accordance with the Board's
Travel Policies and Procedures are not required
to report meals, entertainment, trophies, plaques,
and other awards of nominal or minimal value, or
other Benefits, even if paid for or sponsored by a
Service Provider, provided that these Benefits
are provided as part of the regular agenda of the
conference, seminar or meeting However,
dinners, entertainment and other Benefits that
are not part of the regular agenda of the
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conference, seminar or meeting and that are paid
for, either wholly or in part, by Service Providers
must be reported or refused in accordance with
this Code of Ethics
REPORTS
Fiduciaries shall file with the Executive Director, reports,
which reflect the following
1 Any finder's fee, commission or similar payment
to any person or entity as consideration for the
placement of business with independent
service providers, and
2 Any Benefit, aside from Benefits received in
accordance with the "Benefits Received in
Conjunction with Approved Conferences or
Seminars" Section, with more than a
nominal or minimal fair market value, including,
but not limited to, permitted food,
entertainment or other gifts, and stating the
date, place, nature and reasonably estimated
value of the food, entertainment or other gifts,
the name of the provider, donor or sponsor and
the company represented
These reports shall be filed within thirty (30) days following
the date that the fiduciary paid such finder's fee,
commission or similar payment or received such benefit. All
reports shall be maintained by the Executive Director for a
period of not Tess than one (1) year from the date they were
filed
COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT
Within sixty (60) days of their appointment,
election or employment, and annually thereafter,
fiduciaries shall sign and date a compliance
statement that they have received a copy of, and
read, this Code of Ethics, that they will comply with
all provisions of this Code of Ethics, and that they
will not participate in the concealing of a violation of
this Code of Ethics or knowingly or negligently
permit such a violation to occur Compliance
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statements shall be maintained by the Executive
Director
2 Each fiduciary shall be responsible to ensure that
he or she is in compliance with this Code of Ethics
3 The Board shall be responsible for the full
enforcement of this Code of Ethics Any complaint
alleging a violation of this Code of Ethics shall be
presented in writing to the Fund's Executive
Director, who shall notify the Chair of the Board of
Directors as soon as practicable thereafter The
Chair shall call a meeting of the Board to consider
whether a violation may have occurred If the
Board determines that there are reasonable
grounds for the complaint, the Chair shall call a
.meeting of the Board to hear the complaint formally
and to allow the person against whom the
complaint is filed to explain and/or clarify his or her
actions
4 After fully investigating the complaint and hearing
from the person against whom the complaint is
filed, the Board, excluding the fiduciary or
fiduciaries allegedly in violation of this Code of
Ethics, shall determine if a violation has occurred
and shall issue any notifications, admonitions,
reprimands or requests for resignation deemed
appropriate
5 Nothing in this Code of Ethics shall excuse any
fiduciary from full compliance with other applicable
state or federal laws, rules or regulations
concerning conflicts of interest and fiduciary duties
SECTION 3
The provisions of this ordinance shat! be cumulative of and in addition to
all other ordinances of the City of Fort Worth relating to pensions, which
ordinance are hereby preserved and continued in force and effect, provided
however, that in the event of any conflict, the provisions of this ordinance shall
control
SECTION 4
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4
If any provision, section, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this
ordinance be declared invalid or unconstitutional, the same shall not affect any
other portion or provision hereof, and all other provisions shall remain valid and
unaffected by any invalid portion if any, and the City Council now says that if it
had known at the time of the passage of this ordinance that any portion of said
ordinance was invalid, it would not have adopted such invalid ordinance
SECTION 5
The City Council finds that all acts, conditions and things required by
provisions of the Constitution of Texas and Charter and Ordinances of the City of
Fort Worth precedent to and in the adoption of this Ordinance have been done,
have happened and have been performed in proper and lawful time
SECTION 6
This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after -its adoption,
provided however, that the provisions of the ordinance concerning the expansion
and restructuring of the Board membership shall be implemented in the regular
2001 Board election process Provided further, the current Board Members shall
continue to serve until their successors are elected and qualified in accordance
with this ordinance
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
stant City,Att~rney
DATE ~ CQ~~ Ibt
ADOPTED ~T ~OI
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City of Fort Worth, Texas
M,'Ayo~ and Council CammunicArion
DATE REFERENCE NUMBER LOG NAME PAGE
5/29/01 G-13254 12RESTRUCTURE 1 of 1
SUBJECT ADOPT ORDINANCE TO RESTRUCTURE REPRESENTATION ON THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS OF THE CITY'S EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT FUND
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached ordinance amending Retirement Ordinance
No 13543, as amended by Ordinance Nos 13672, 13673, 13674 and 13842
DISCUSSION
On March 27, 2001, the City Council approved Council Proposal (CP) No 220 (copy attached)
restructuring representation on the Board of Directors (Board) of the City's Employees' Retirement
Fund To implement the provisions of CP No 220, the attached ordinance would
a) Add a retiree slot to ensure that a public safety retiree and a general retiree are always
represented on the Board, and
b) Add a second slot for the Police Department and another slot for general employees to keep the
representation by each active Board member in the 800 employees range, and
c) Increase the number of elected board members from 6 to 9
The ordinance also addresses City Council concerns regarding citizen input by continuing the City
Council's appointment of a City Council member and a citizen to the Board
As anon-voting member, the Finance Director will serve as a "neutral" chairperson to facilitate
discussion and ensure that everyone is heard
All voting Board members, including both elected and appointed board members, will be limited to
serving three, two-year terms
An ethics code, which is presently a Board policy, will be strengthened by incorporating it into the
Retirement Ordinance
CB k
Submitted for City Manager's FUND ACCOUNT CENTER AMOUNT CITY SECRETARY
Office by• (t0)
APPRDYED
Charles Boswell 8511 CITY COUNCIL
Originating Department Head: f~5 f~~D~
JUN 5 2001
David Yett 7606 (from)
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Additional Information Contact: r
Cit
Sec
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tl~e
City of Fat Worth, ?ezrt
David Yett 7606
Adapted Ordlnance No.