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Board warned of federal ADA requirement and potential costs to make pension materials accessible online
Summary
Legal counsel and staff told trustees a federal directive and a local settlement require public documents and audit materials on the city website to be ADA-compliant by an April deadline for some entities; trustees discussed likely vendor/software costs, technical challenges for charts/graphics, and uncertain guidance and timelines.
Lindsay, filling in as counsel, updated the board on an IRS mileage change and then described an ongoing accessibility and disability-related compliance issue: the federal government and a local settlement require websites and public documents to meet ADA accessibility standards, and some entities face an April deadline to comply.
Board members asked how the requirement would affect audit reports and investment-manager charts. Counsel said vendors and auditors are being asked to provide ADA-compliant materials, but there is no finalized, universal approach yet and smaller managers may face large incremental costs to repackage charts and graphics. Trustees discussed whether temporary accommodations (e.g., providing documents on request, audio descriptions) would be acceptable and whether litigation or federal guidance might create a pause or safe-harbor; counsel said guidance and litigation timelines are uncertain and a pause cannot be relied on.
Trustees were informed the city is exploring software and vendor solutions and that managers have been notified. The board recognized the work could be substantial and that fees from providers or modifications to presentation materials may be needed. Staff and compliance personnel will continue to work on an approach and report back to the board.
