Section 20571.5.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, the board may enter into an agreement with the governing body of a contracting agency for the termination of a portion of the contract with respect to a member classification with no active employees. The terms of the agreement shall be reflected in an amendment to the agency's contract with the board. The board may require that the portion of the contract being terminated be in effect for at least five years. Upon the termination of a portion of a contract, the board shall do the following:

(a) Hold for the benefit of the members of this system who are credited with service rendered as employees of the contracting agency, and for the benefit of beneficiaries of this system who are entitled to receive benefits on account of that service, the portion of the accumulated contributions then held by this system and credited to, or as having been made by, the agency. This portion of the accumulated contributions shall not exceed the difference between the following:

(1) An amount actuarially equivalent, including contingencies for mortality fluctuations, as determined by the actuary and approved by the board, to the amount this system is obligated to pay after the effective date of termination to, or on account of, persons who are or have been employed by, and on account of service rendered by them to, the agency.

(2) The contributions, with credited interest thereon, then held by this system as having been made by those persons as employees of the agency.

(b) Merge all plan assets and liabilities into the terminated agency pool to provide exclusively for the payment of benefits to members of these plans.

(1) If the sum of the accumulated contributions is less than the actuarial equivalent specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), the agency shall contribute to the system, under the terms fixed by the board, an amount equal to the difference between the amount specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) and the accumulated contributions.

(2) If the sum of accumulated contributions exceeds the amount specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), the excess contributions shall be merged into the active plan or plans of the contracting agency, as determined by the chief actuary.

(c) Enter into an agreement with the governing body of a contracting agency terminating a portion of a contract in order to ensure both of the following:

(1) The final compensation used in the calculation of benefits of its employees is calculated in the same manner as the benefits of employees of agencies that are not terminating, regardless of whether the employees of the terminating agency retire directly from employment with the contracting agency terminating a portion of a contract or continue in other public service.

(2) Related necessary adjustments in the employer's contribution rate are made, from time to time, by the board prior to the date of termination to ensure adequate funding of benefits or the governing body of the contracting agency terminating a portion of a contract and the board agree to another actuarially sound payment technique, including a lump-sum payment at termination.

(Added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 261, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2009.)