14-2111.

Utilities district; employees; retirement and other benefits; terms and conditions; reports.

(1) The board of directors of any metropolitan utilities district may also provide benefits for, insurance of, and annuities for the present and future employees and appointees of the district covering accident, disease, death, total and permanent disability, and retirement, all or any of them, under such terms and conditions as the board may deem proper and expedient from time to time. Any retirement plan adopted by the board of directors shall be upon some contributory basis requiring contributions by both the district and the employee or appointee, except that the district may pay the entire cost of the fund necessary to cover service rendered prior to the adoption of any new retirement plan. Any retirement plan shall take into consideration the benefits provided for employees and appointees of metropolitan utilities districts under the Social Security Act, and any benefits provided under a contributory retirement plan shall be supplemental to the benefits provided under the Social Security Act as defined in section 68-602 if the employees entitled to vote in a referendum vote in favor of old age and survivors' insurance coverage. To effectuate any plan adopted pursuant to this authority, the board of directors of the district is empowered to establish and maintain reserves and funds, provide for insurance premiums and costs, and make such delegation as may be necessary to carry into execution the general powers granted by this section. Payments made to employees and appointees, under the authority in this section, shall be exempt from attachment or other legal process and shall not be assignable.

(2) Any retirement plan adopted by the board of directors of any metropolitan utilities district may allow the district to pick up the employee contribution required by this section for all compensation paid on or after January 1, 1986, and the contributions so picked up shall be treated as employer contributions in determining federal tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code, except that the employer shall continue to withhold federal income taxes based upon such contributions until the Internal Revenue Service or the federal courts rule that, pursuant to section 414(h) of the Internal Revenue Code, such contributions shall not be included as gross income of the employee until such time as they are distributed or made available. The employer shall pay the employee contributions from the same source of funds which is used in paying earnings to the employees. The employer shall pick up the contributions by a salary deduction either through a reduction in the cash salary of the employee or a combination of a reduction in salary and offset against a future salary increase. Employee contributions picked up shall be treated in the same manner and to the same extent as employee contributions made prior to the date picked up.

(3) Beginning December 31, 1998, through December 31, 2017:

(a) The chairperson of the board shall file with the Public Employees Retirement Board an annual report on each retirement plan established pursuant to this section and section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code and shall submit copies of such report to the Auditor of Public Accounts. The Auditor of Public Accounts may prepare a review of such report pursuant to section 84-304.02 but is not required to do so. The annual report shall be in a form prescribed by the Public Employees Retirement Board and shall contain the following information for each such retirement plan:

(i) The number of persons participating in the retirement plan;

(ii) The contribution rates of participants in the plan;

(iii) Plan assets and liabilities;

(iv) The names and positions of persons administering the plan;

(v) The names and positions of persons investing plan assets;

(vi) The form and nature of investments;

(vii) For each defined contribution plan, a full description of investment policies and options available to plan participants; and

(viii) For each defined benefit plan, the levels of benefits of participants in the plan, the number of members who are eligible for a benefit, and the total present value of such members' benefits, as well as the funding sources which will pay for such benefits.

If a plan contains no current active participants, the chairperson may file in place of such report a statement with the Public Employees Retirement Board indicating the number of retirees still drawing benefits, and the sources and amount of funding for such benefits; and

(b) If such retirement plan is a defined benefit plan which was open to new members on January 1, 2004, in addition to the reports required by section 13-2402, the board of directors of any metropolitan utilities district shall cause to be prepared an annual report and shall file the same with the Public Employees Retirement Board and the Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee of the Legislature and submit to the Auditor of Public Accounts a copy of such report. The Auditor of Public Accounts may prepare a review of such report pursuant to section 84-304.02 but is not required to do so. If the board of directors does not submit a copy of the report to the Auditor of Public Accounts within six months after the end of the plan year, the Auditor of Public Accounts may audit, or cause to be audited, the metropolitan utilities district. All costs of the audit shall be paid by the metropolitan utilities district. The report shall consist of a full actuarial analysis of each such retirement plan established pursuant to this section. The analysis shall be prepared by an independent private organization or public entity employing actuaries who are members in good standing of the American Academy of Actuaries, and which organization or entity has demonstrated expertise to perform this type of analysis and is unrelated to any organization offering investment advice or which provides investment management services to the retirement plan. The report to the Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee shall be submitted electronically.

(4)(a) Beginning December 31, 2018, and each December 31 thereafter, for a defined benefit plan the chairperson of the board or his or her designee shall prepare and electronically file an annual report with the Auditor of Public Accounts and the Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee of the Legislature. If such retirement plan is a defined benefit plan which was open to new members on January 1, 2004, the report shall be in addition to the reports required by section 13-2402. The report shall be on a form prescribed by the Auditor of Public Accounts and shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:

(i) The levels of benefits of participants in the plan, the number of members who are eligible for a benefit, the total present value of such members' benefits, and the funding sources which will pay for such benefits; and

(ii) A copy of a full actuarial analysis of each such defined benefit plan. The analysis shall be prepared by an independent private organization or public entity employing actuaries who are members in good standing of the American Academy of Actuaries, and which organization or entity has demonstrated expertise to perform this type of analysis and is unrelated to any organization which offers investment advice or provides investment management services to the retirement plan.

(b) The Auditor of Public Accounts may prepare a review of such report pursuant to section 84-304.02 but is not required to do so. If the board of directors does not submit a copy of the report to the Auditor of Public Accounts within six months after the end of the plan year, the Auditor of Public Accounts may audit, or cause to be audited, the district. All costs of the audit shall be paid by the district.