CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
Memo Date: October 27, 2021
Agenda Date: November 9, 2021
Prepared By: Tammy B. Gemmati, Administrative Services Director
Through: Stockton Whitten, City Manager
Requested Action:
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Approval of Ordinance No. 12-2021/first reading: Amending Chapter 2, Administration, Article VIII, Firefighters' Retirement Plan of the Code by amending: Section 2-271, Definitions, adding definition of death in the line of duty; Section 2-324, Disability, amending the benefit for a service incurred disability; Section 2-325, Preretirement Death, amending to create a new pre-retirement death benefit for members killed in the line-of-duty. End
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BACKGROUND:
The City of Cocoa has an established Firefighters' Retirement Plan in accordance with Chapter 175, Florida Statutes for the benefit of the City's Firefighters. Under this statute, the City is required to provide a minimum level of pension benefits, which includes a pension benefit for a service-connected disability. The City recently concluded collective bargaining with both the International Association of Firefighters Local 2416 for the rank and file members and Teamsters Fire District Chiefs which resulted in adding specific benefits for in the line-of-duty death benefits if the disability occurs as the result of an active shooter event or mass killing.
These proposed benefit changes have been done so under the guidance of the City's pension attorney Glenn Thomas of Lewis, Longman, & Walker. According to information provided by legal counsel, there are not many pension plans that have specific benefits for situations defined in this ordinance. A draft ordinance was provided to the Pension Plan's attorney Mark Floyd, Mierzwa & Floyd, P.A. and the Plan's actuarial firm Foster and Foster. Additionally, edits were made to the disability section to reflect the current disability multiplier being used and to comply with Florida State Statute Section 112.1816 for firefighters who be...
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