Certain municipal officials may opt out of APERS

The Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System (APERS) provides cities with the ability to provide coverage for employees and officials (A.C.A. § 24-4-303).

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The Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System (APERS) provides cities with the ability to provide coverage for employees and officials (A.C.A. § 24-4-303). The law states generally that the mayor and clerk “shall become participating employees upon taking office.” However, the statute permits mayors and clerks of cities1test of the first class to opt out of APERS in order to participate in the local retirement plans provided for in A.C.A. § 24-12-121.

To opt out of APERS, the mayor or clerk must provide written notice to APERS within 90 calendar days of the date the official assumed office. Once made, this choice is irrevocable. Any employer contributions previously made on behalf of an official who elects not to participate will be refunded to the city and the official will forfeit service credit in the system. Newly elected city attorneys or city treasurers in cities of the first class who are otherwise covered by a local pension fund may also take advantage of these provisions.

To contact APERS, call 501-682-7800 or visit www.apers.org.

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Further Reading

Time to fall back1On November 3, we’ll turn our clocks back one hour thus removing ourselves from daylight saving time (DST). The concept of DST is simple: save energy and make better use of daylight. It was first used in Thunder Bay, Canada, in 1908 but became popular after Germany adopted it in 1916. There’s some debate, like a lot of our daily practices, as to who originated the idea of DST. Some claim it to be Ben Franklin, he of the kite, thunderstorm and electricity experiment. 1784 is often thought to be the year Ben had the idea. Others cite the Romans as the first to conceptualize and utilize the idea. Who knows really?! Today over 70 countries worldwide use DST. https://armuni.org/3BFNUry