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Votes at a glance: PERS administrative committee approves budget, regulations, contracts and travel authorization
Summary
The PERS administrative committee approved a Tunica County Health Care Authority dissolution effective 05/01/2024, a flat preliminary FY administrative budget, revisions to contribution and reemployment regulations, annual travel authorization, an election ballot, and staff recommendations to hire two actuarial firms.
At its administrative committee meeting, the Public Employees Retirement System of Mississippi approved several procedural and policy items affecting employers, staff operations and future actuarial work.
Key votes and outcomes
- Tunica County Health Care Authority dissolution: The committee recommended board approval of the Tunica County Health Care Authority dissolution with Social Security and PERS retirement coverage effective May 1, 2024. Speaker 3 moved to approve and the motion carried by voice vote. Speaker 1 said approximately 15 employees are expected to transfer to the Tunica County Board of Supervisors and staff said PERS would not expect a cost if contributions continue.
- FY '26 initial administrative budget request: Speaker 1 introduced a flat baseline budget request with current positions and funding levels; the committee approved the preliminary budget request by voice vote. Members discussed potential future requests for additional positions or salary adjustments and confirmed limited new costs for live‑streaming equipment and actuarial assessments.
- Regulation 60 (employer contribution rates): The committee adopted revised language to reflect recent legislation (the employer contribution rate moving from 17.4% to 17.9% and related downstream adjustments), and asked staff to adjust regulation language where the statute changed who sets contribution rates. The motion to adopt Regulation 60 with the suggested edits carried by voice vote.
- Regulation 34 (reemployment after retirement): The committee adopted Regulation 34 to implement the recent law allowing certain retired teachers to return to full‑time work for up to five years while maintaining retirement benefits under specified conditions; members asked clarifying questions about substitutes, eligibility and the role of the Department of Education in designating critical shortage areas.
- Board travel authorization and election ballot: The committee approved the annual board and staff travel authorization and approved the state employee representative election ballot for an unexpired term.
- Actuarial contracts: The committee approved staff recommendations to contract with GRS and Chiron for two additional actuarial assessments (subject to contract negotiation) as required by recent legislation.
What this means: The committee’s approvals implement parts of recently passed legislation and set the timetable and contracting approach for multiple independent actuarial assessments that will be used to inform the board and the legislature about long‑term funding needs. The legislature will retain final authority over any funding changes.
