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Board Roles & Responsibilities

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Watch a 90-second video explaining the role and importance of our Board of Trustees. 


Nominations for the 2023 Board elections are going on now through June 9.  Click here to learn about the process and make a nomination!

The governing body of the Retirement Fund is the Board of Trustees, consisting of 13 members appointed by the Fort Worth City Council and elected by the membership. Learn abut the Mission and Vision of the Fund. Key facts:

Representation

Place 1 represents all active Civil Service police personnel, Employee Group A. The seat is held by an active, vested Civil Service police employee, who is elected in odd-numbered years.

Place 2 represents all active Civil Service fire personnel, Employee Group B. The seat is held by an active, vested Civil Service fire employee, who is elected in even-numbered years.

Place 3 represents general employees in Employee Group C, which includes the following departments and personnel: City Manager, City Secretary, Communications & Public Engagement, Financial Management Services, Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion, Internal Audit, Law, Municipal Courts, Development Services, Planning & Data Analytics, Water and Waste Water, and non-Civil Service employees of the Police Department. The seat is held by an active, vested employee in one of the above departments, who is elected in odd-numbered years.

Place 4 represents general employees in Employee Group D, which includes the following departments and personnel: Aviation, Code Compliance, Economic Development, IT Solutions, Library, Neighborhood Services, Park & Recreation, Property Management, Public Events, Transportation and Public Works, and non-Civil Service Employees of the Fire Department. The seat is held by an active, vested employee in one of the above departments, who is elected in even-numbered years.

Place 5 represents all retired Civil Service fire personnel, Retiree Group B. The seat is held by a retired Civil Service fire employee, who is elected in odd-numbered years.

Place 6 represents all retired Civil Service police personnel, Retiree Group A. The seat is held by a retired Civil Service police employee, who is elected in even-numbered years.

Place 7 represents all retired general employees of the City of Fort Worth, Retiree Group C. The seat is held by a retired City of Fort Worth employee, who is elected in odd-numbered years.

Places 8 – 12 are represented by residents of the City of Fort Worth and are appointed by the Fort Worth City Council. Odd-numbered places are appointed in odd-numbered years and even-numbered places in even-numbered years.

Place 13 is the standing seat held by the Chief Financial Officer of the City of Fort Worth, who holds that Place for as long as he/she maintains that particular position with the city.

Eligibility Requirements

(To be nominated / elected or appointed to the Board)

To be eligible to run for Places 1 - 4, an employee must:

  • Be an active, vested city employee at the time of the election;
  • Be a member of the department/group which they wish to represent;
  • Get at least 75 signatures of active members of the department/group they wish to represent (temporary employees' signatures do not count toward the 75 needed) using the online nominations platform, paper petition forms, or both;
  • Submit petition forms by the deadline announced by the Retirement Fund.

To run for Places 5 - 7, a retiree must:

  • Be a retired city employee at the time of the election (being in the DROP does not count as being a retiree; the candidate must actually have separated from employment with the city and receive a monthly pension benefit);
  • Get at least 25 nominations from retirees of the department/group they wish to represent (not including survivors and/or surviving spouses) using the online nominations platform, paper forms / letters, or both; the Retirement Fund mails nomination letters with forms to all retirees eligible for each specific election;
  • Have any forms / letters submitted by the deadline announced by the Retirement Fund.

To be considered for Places 8 – 12, you must:

Responsibilities
The Retirement Fund Board of Trustees is an important part of the city’s pension plan. Trustees are responsible for investment decisions and asset allocation of the Fund and, with the help of the Fund’s actuaries, for setting actuarial assumptions and recommending the monetary contributions needed from the city to meet these assumptions and fund benefits to members. In addition, Trustees evaluate and grant disability retirement pensions and death benefits for members and oversee Fund staff. Staff members collect contributions from the city and its employees and pay out benefits in accordance with retirement plan provisions.

The Retirement Fund Board does NOT control changes to benefits, which are controlled by the Fort Worth City Council, including the timing and scope of any benefit changes. The Retirement Fund is also not involved in personnel policy decisions that affect pensions benefits, including salary increases, promotions and overtime worked. Retirement Fund Trustees also do not control bargaining agreements with Civil Service groups regarding pay or benefits or the city’s health care benefits or funding.

Of course, Retirement Fund Trustees also do not control market fluctuations that affect the value of the Retirement Fund's assets.

Expectations for Fund Board Members
n Board members are fiduciaries of the Retirement Fund and must adhere to a set of standards and responsibilities. All Board members are required to attend orientation and must participate in ongoing education courses throughout their terms in order to understand the full extent of their fiduciary responsibilities.

n Board members must attend one monthly regular Board meeting, held during a weekday. Committees also meet during the weekday. Board members have a choice of six committees on which to serve, including Audit, Communications, Disability, Investment, Legislative and Personnel.

Learn how to nominate yourself or a colleague to run for the Board.

The voting period usually runs July to August. Learn more about the election process.