Section 19-110 General benefits.

(a) Employee health care plan. The city shall pay into the employee benefit fund four hundred thirty-three dollars and seventy-nine cents ($433.79) per month for the cost of employee health care plan coverage of each eligible permanent employee who participates in the plan. The city shall pay a portion of dependent care coverage for those eligible permanent employees who elect to purchase dependent health plan coverage under the city plan, in the following amounts:

These payments by the city shall begin when the employee becomes an eligible employee under the health care plan and end at the date of the employee's termination of employment with the city. Employees choosing not to participate in the health care plan shall not be entitled to receive the amount the city would have contributed toward the cost of such employees' health care plan coverage.

(b) Life insurance. The city shall, each month pay for and on behalf of each eligible employee who subscribes to the city's group life insurance policy, a sum of up to one-half (1/2) the cost of insurance coverage available to the employee pursuant to the group policy. (Employees who are not under the jurisdiction of an organized employee union or association may have their individual term life insurance costs paid by the city.) All dividends paid on life insurance policies issued under the city's group life insurance policy shall be paid into the employee benefit fund and all city employees authorize and consent to the use of such dividends as herein provided by their participation in the city's group life insurance policy. The employee benefit fund shall be used to pay one-third (1/3) of the cost of the insurance coverage available to an employee under the city's group policy for so long as funds are available, during which time the city and employee shall each contribute one-third (1/3) of the cost of such life insurance. Payments by the city and employee benefit fund shall begin at the date of hire into a permanent position.

(c) Retirement systems. All permanent employees, except employees hired as full-time, regular firefighters or railroad operations employees are required to participate in the Federal Social Security System immediately upon appointment to city employment. All employees, except full-time regular firefighters , full-time regular police officers, and railroad operations employees, working one thousand five hundred (1,500) hours or more in a calendar year shall participate in the Missouri Local Government Retirement System (LAGERS). Participation in LAGERS for eligible employees begins following completion of the first six (6) months of city employment. Full-time regular firefighters and full-time regular police officers participate in the retirement plans set out in Chapter 18 of this code. Railroad operations employees are covered by the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974.

(1) Employees may participate in a group deferred compensation plan adopted by the city council. The city manager may recommend to the city council, and the council may adopt any necessary contractual arrangements, and subsequent changes or modifications. This program shall be monitored by the human resources department.

(e) Money purchase plans. Permanent employees may, at their option, participate in the City of Columbia, Missouri Money Purchase Plan, a defined contribution plan operating under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Subject to the provisions of the plan and the limitations imposed by Section 401(a)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the city will contribute to the plan trust fund on behalf of each participating employee who contributes to a group deferred compensation plan (457 plan) at the minimum rate of two dollars ($2.00) per pay period, an amount equal to the employee's contribution to the 457 plan up to a maximum of two (2) per cent of the employee's compensation.

( f ) Post employment health plan. The city may contribute funds each month to the post employment health plan for public employees on behalf of each eligible permanent employee if funds are available . The city shall make sick leave conversions to the health care insurance premium reimbursement subaccounts of each eligible employee leaving city employment if the employee has been employed by the city for ten (10) years or more, or if the employee is retiring or has previously retired pursuant to the terms of a city-sponsored retirement plan (based on either age or disability). Such sick leave conversions shall be made at the rate of two dollars ($2.00) for every hour of final accumulated sick leave. Participation in the sick leave buyback program pursuant to section 19-130(p) will reduce the number of hours converted to the post employment health plan.

(Code 1964, § 22.665; Ord. No. 9936, § 1, 9-19-83; Ord. No. 10714, § 1, 9-3-85; Ord. No. 10733, § 1, 9-16-85; Ord. No. 10768, § 1, 10-21-85; Ord. No. 12024, § 1, 9-19-88; Ord. No. 12122, § 4, 2-6-89; Ord. No. 12417, § 1, 11-20-89; Ord. No. 12716, § 1, 8-22-90; Ord. No. 12841, § 1, 1-7-91; Ord. No. 13046, § 1, 8-5-91; Ord. No. 13135, § 1, 10-7-91; Ord. 13430, § 1, 9-8-92; Ord. No. 13440, § 5, 9-21-92; Ord. No. 13487, § 11, 10-19-92; Ord. No. 13495, § 1, 11-2-92; Ord. No. 13817 § 1, 9-20-93; Ord. No. 13894 § 1, 12-6-93; Ord. No. 14660 § 1, 10-2-95; Ord. No. 14700 § 1, 11-20-95; Ord. No. 14982, § 2, 9-16-96; Ord. No. 14985, § 1, 9-16-96; Ord. No. 15035, § 1, 10-21-96; Ord. No. 15063, § 1, 11-18-96; Ord. No. 15300, § 2, 7-21-97; Ord. No. 15355, § 1, 9-15-97; Ord. No. 15754, § 1, 9-21-98; Ord. No. 16191, § 1, 9-20-99; Ord. No. 16406, § 2, 4-3-00; Ord. No. 16618, § 1, 9-18-00; Ord. No. 17016, § 1, 9-17-01; Ord. No. 17442, § 1, 9-16-02; Ord. No. 17850, § 1, 9-15-03; Ord. No. 18254, § 1, 9-20-04; Ord. No. 18710, § 1, 9-19-05 ; Ord. No. 19230, § 1, 9-18-06; Ord. No. 19677, § 1, 9-17-07 ; Ord. No. 20064; § 1, 9-15-08; Ord. No. 20234, § 2, 4-6-09 ; Ord. No. 20438, § 1, 9-21-09)

(Ord. 20438, Amended, 09/21/2009, Prior Text; Ord. 20234, Amended, 04/06/2009, Prior Text; Ord. 20064, Amended, 09/15/2008, Prior Text; Ord. 19677, Amended, 09/17/2007, Prior Text; Ord. 19230, Amended, 09/18/2006, Prior Text; Ord. 18710, Amended, 09/19/2005, Prior Text; Ord. 18254, Amended, 09/20/2004, Prior Text; Ord. 17850, Amended, 09/15/2003, Prior Text; Ord. 17442, Amended, 09/16/2002, Prior Text; Ord. 17016, Amended, 09/17/2001, Prior Text; Ord. 16618, Amended, 09/18/2000, Prior Text; Ord. 16406, Amended, 04/03/2000, Prior Text; Ord. 16191, Amended, 09/20/1999, Prior Text; Ord. 15754, Amended, 09/21/1998, Prior Text)