COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING AND PUBLIC MEETING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - - - Wednesday, 2/6/02 10:15 a.m. Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, PA - - - ORDINANCE 010595 Amending Title of the Philadelphia Code, entitled "City of Philadelphia 10 Public Employees Retirement Code," by providing that employees may purchase credited service for approved 11 leaves of absence taken to participate in the United Nation Peace Keeping or Police Missions, all under 12 certain terms and conditions. 13 14 PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANNA C. VERNA 15 COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN FRANK J. DICICCO 16 COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY 17 COUNCILWOMAN JOAN L. KRAJEWSKI COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO 18 COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILMAN ANGEL L. ORTIZ 19 COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO 20 21 - - - 22 VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-2220 2/6/02 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - BILL 010595 WITNESS James Kidwell, Acting Executive Director...... Board of Pensions and retirement. 2/6/02 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - BILL 010595
Good morning, everyone. Sorry for the delay. This is a hearing of the Committee of the Whole regarding Bill No. 010595. I would ask Mr. Mezzaroba to please read the title of the ordinance.
An ordinance amending Title of the Philadelphia Code, entitled "City 10 of Philadelphia Public Employees Retirement Code," 11 by providing that employees may purchase credited 12 service for approved leaves of absence taken to 13 participate in the United Nation Peace Keeping or 14 Police Missions, all under certain terms and 15 conditions. 16
Good morning. 19 Please identify yourself for the record and proceed 20 with your testimony. 21
James Kidwell, 22 K-I-D-W-E-L-L, Acting Executive Director of Board of Pensions and Retirement. Good morning.
Good morning. 4 2/6/02 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - BILL 010595
I am James Kidwell, Acting Executive Director of the Board of Pensions and Retirement. I am pleased to present testimony on behalf of the Board's trustees and its chairperson, M. Janice Davis, Director of Finance. With me is Linda Donovan, Pension Program Administrator, who oversees the Board's Active Services Units. Bill No. 010595 will allow an employee who's granted a personal leave of absence in excess of 90 days to serve at United Nations International Peace Keeping or Police Mission to purchase such leave of absence for pension purposes by contributing the pension contributions that the employee would have paid into the retirement system had the employee been in paid status during the period of the leave of absence. Our actuary, Kenneth Ken of William Mercer, advised the Board of Pensions and Retirement that the cost implications for the Cit of Philadelphia's public employees retirement fund are immaterial. Based on the past experience provided to William Mercer by the Board's staff, only City employees out of approximately 30,000 active employees have been granted a personal leave 2/6/02 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - BILL 010595 of absence by their personal departments to serve at a United Nations Police Mission. William Mercer pointed out this leave of absence should be monitored in the event that the level of activity becomes more prevalent. The City of Philadelphia Board of Pensions and Retirement supports Bill No. 010595.
I'll be honest. I'm rather surprised to see -- or to hear that we have only two City employees that have --
To the best of the Board's knowledge, only two employees served in the Police Mission.
Okay. Are there any questions? The Chair recognizes Councilman Mariano.
Thank you, Madam President. Mr. Kidwell, the Council President touched on this a little bit, but you talked about the two employees. That is two employees in its current action now in Afghanistan or someone who's been called up in support?
I believe the two employees 6 2/6/02 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - BILL 010595 that we are aware of were in Kosovo.
'Cause I think I know five people myself -- three are policemen and two are other City employees -- that have been called in the Reserves, and I personally know them. So is there a chance that they haven't done what they need to do?
We would be notifying any employee -- should this bill pass, we will inform the employees of their rights to purchase at that time to any employee who would be on a personal leave of absence to serve in such a mission.
If someone gets called up in October of '01 in the Army Reserves to deploy wherever they're deployed, are you notified? Say, it's a policeman -- I know two policemen in the 24th District that are now with the military somewhere. Are you notified that there might be a gap at his pension? What I'm looking for is, is there -- could somebody fall through the cracks here?
Because you'll notify 7 2/6/02 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - BILL 010595 everybody?
This bill is a little bit different than an employee who is on a leave of absence -- on a military leave of absence.
Okay, they currently have the right to purchase that military leave of absence for pension purposes.
This bill steps outside of the military leave and is for United Nations Peace Keeping or a Police Mission, which is not a military leave of absence.
Well, if you served in the United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in Kosovo, yes. If you're an active employee granted a military leave and served in Kosovo, that employee currently has the right to purchase such leave.
This just basically fills where there may have been a loophole? Is 8 2/6/02 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - BILL 010595 that safe to say?
Are there any other questions from members of the committee? (No further questions.)
Is there anyone else to testify on this bill? (No response.)
Seeing none, this will conclude the public hearing. - - - 9 2/6/02 - WHOLE - PUB. MEETING - BILL 010595
We will now go into our public meeting, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Krajewski.
Thank you, Madam President. I move that Bill No. 010595 be reported out of this committee with a favorable recommendation. (Duly seconded.)
Whatever you want; do you want to suspend the rules?
With the rules of Council to be suspended as to permit first reading at the next session of Council. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Bill No. 010595 be reported out of committee with a favorable recommendation, also a recommendation that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next 10 2/6/02 - WHOLE - PUB. MEETING - BILL 010595 session of Council. All those in favor will say aye. Those opposed? The ayes have it, the motion carries. Thank you very much. This concludes the hearing. (Proceedings end at 10:35.) - - - 11 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia's meeting of the Council Committee of the Whole of Wednesday, February 6, 2002, are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. RE: Bill No. 010595 _______________________________, Josephine Cardillo Registered Professional Reporter and Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)