Membership:
November 15, 2012:
The Board acknowledges and recognizes that the positions of Senior Fire Alarm Operator, Fire Alarm Operator, Emergency Telecommunication Dispatcher and Emergency Telecommunication Supervisor all perform the essential duties of Fire Alarm and Police Signal Operators and as such shall be placed in Group 2 pursuant to M.G.L. c. 32, § 3(2)(g).
August 22, 2003:
Any individual who is permanently employed twenty (20) hours or more for the City of Waltham, the Waltham School Department or the Waltham Housing Authority shall become a member of the Waltham Retirement System.
April 27, 1989:
Individuals employed as School Traffic Supervisors, School Physicians and School Dentists of the City of Waltham shall not be eligible for membership in the Waltham Retirement System. This regulation shall take effect March 29, 1989, and shall not apply to those individuals whose membership was accepted prior to March 29, 1989.
March 27, 1995:
Acceptation into the Retirement System the job title of “Substitute Service Clerk”, which is a full time ten-month position in the School Department.
Creditable Service:
March 26, 2013:
Calculation Of Creditable Service For Members Who Purchase Past Service Rendered
Any individual who is an active member of the Waltham Retirement System as of the effective date of this regulation may purchase past service rendered as a part-time, provisional, temporary, temporary provisional, seasonal or intermittent employee of the City of Waltham, Waltham School Department and/or Waltham Housing Authority, provided that the member remits to the Waltham Retirement Board the appropriate amount of contributions that would have been withheld, together with buyback interest, had he or she been a member of the System at the time the service was rendered. It shall be the responsibility of the member to obtain, and provide to the Board, verification of this past service rendered, including but not limited to payroll records indicating the amount of compensation received and amount of hours worked. In the event that any or all of such original documentation is unavailable, the Board may exercise its discretion pursuant to M.G.L. c. 32, § 20(5)(c)(1), on a case by case basis, to accept alternative documentation to verify said service and compensation.
For members who purchase such service rendered as a part-time, provisional, temporary, temporary provisional, seasonal or intermittent employee creditable service shall be calculated based on 170 hours of compensated employment being the equivalent of one (1) month of creditable service. Members shall be credited with full months and full years of past service rendered and purchased. Members shall not receive more than one (1) year credit in any calendar year
August 22, 2003:
Calculation Of Creditable Service For Members Who Purchase Past Service Rendered
Any individual who is an active member of the Waltham Retirement System as of 8/22/03 may purchase any past service rendered as a part-time, provisional, temporary, temporary provisional, seasonal or intermittent employee in the City of Waltham, Waltham School Department and/or Waltham Housing Authority, provided that the member remits to the Waltham Retirement Board the appropriate amount of contributions that would have been withheld, together with regular interest, had he or she been a member of the System at the time the service was rendered. It shall be the sole responsibility of the member to obtain, and provide to the Board, verification of this past service rendered, including but not limited to payroll records indicating the amount of compensation received and amount of hours worked. In the event that any or all of such original documentation is unavailable, the Board may exercise its discretion pursuant to M.G.L. c. 32, § 20(5)(c)(1), on a case by case basis, to accept alternative documentation to verify said service and compensation.
For members who purchase such past service rendered as a part-time, provisional, temporary, temporary provision, seasonal or intermittent employee creditable service shall be calculated based on 1040 hours of compensated employment in the aggregate being the equivalent of one (1) year of creditable service. Members shall be credited with full months and full years of past service rendered and purchased.
Members of the Waltham Retirement System shall receive creditable service in the following manner:
- For a member in service who is employed in a full-time capacity while an employee in the City of Waltham, he/she will receive one year of creditable service for each full calendar year in which the employee is receiving regular compensation for said service.
- For a member in service who is employed in a part-time capacity throughout his/her entire career while an employee in the City of Waltham, he/she will receive one year of creditable service for each full calendar in which the employee is receiving regular compensation for said service.
- For a member in service who has been employed in both a full-time and part-time capacity while an employee in the City of Waltham, the member will receive full-time credit for full-time service, and prorated credit for part-time service based on the full-time equivalency for the position.
- For a member who is employed in a part-time capacity throughout his/her entire career while an employee in the City of Waltham, but who either purchases past refunded service, or has transferred into the Waltham Retirement System service, rendered in a full-time capacity, the member's part-time service shall be prorated based on the full-time equivalency of the position.
- In the case of School Department or City employees whose full-time employment requires them to work from on or about September 1 to on or about June 30, said employees shall receive one of creditable service for each full month the employee is receiving regular compensation, with 10 months being the equivalent of one year of creditable service.
March 10, 1997:
A member may not purchase periods of prior non-membership service in the City of Waltham pursuant to G.L. c. 32, s 4(2)(c), if the member had social security deductions for the period in question. This rule is effective December 18, 1996.
January 3, 1989:
School Traffic Supervisors: Individuals employed as School Traffic Supervisors in the Police Department of the City of Waltham, shall be granted creditable service equal to twelve (12) months for each year of employment if and only if their employment equals that of the total number of hours prescribed by the City of Waltham for that job title or position. Such individual, if at any time, accepts employment in another department of any political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall be granted a maximum of six (6) months for each year of employment as a School Traffic Supervisor.
December 21, 1984:
Any member who desires to establish credit for part-time employment before becoming a member must petition the Board for such credit. All credit must be equivalent to one half of the full-time permanent job classification regular hours or days for which the member was employed part-time;
- Any member who desires to retire under section 56-60 of c. 32 of the M.G.L., must have payroll data evidence to support and verify that such member and public employment prior to July 1, 1939;
- Purchases of unused sick leave; Excess over 200 days while still employed - Buy-back is not subject to retirement deductions or treatment as regular compensation
- Part-time employees excluded from membership by Board vote: Library pages, recreation department seasonal employees (become eligible after six (6) months); summer playground personnel; winter skating personnel; cemetery department - temporary, seasonal help. Most summer workers become eligible after six (6) months. School transportation, nurses, school cafeteria employees who do not work at least 3 1/2 hours per school day regularly. Library department employees classified as library associates, library department part-time custodians. Members of Boards and commissions paid on a per meeting basis.
- Exceptions: Women School Traffic Supervisors
- Part-time positions which can pay an annul rate of compensation, clerk recreation department, Board of Assessors (2 Part Time Employees), Cafeteria workers who work regularly at least 3 1/2 hours per school day.
- The Retirement Board will allow the following types of employed persons to buy back their time:
- Said employees shall include but not be limited to part-time permanent with least twenty (20) hours per week, full-time temporary laborers-full-time intermittent. (AMENDED MARCH 10, 1997).
Regular Compensation:
Miscellaneous:
November 4, 2024
Correction of Errors
In all cases in which a benefit calculation error occurs that results in an underpayment or non-payment of a pension or benefit to a member or beneficiary, or in the event of any overpayment as the result of an error to a member or beneficiary, the Board shall, consistent with the provisions of M.G.L. c. 32, § 20(5)(c) pay to or collect from the member or beneficiary, as the case may be, the actuarial equivalent of the benefit paid or received in error. Pursuant to the Supreme Judicial Court's decision in Herrick v. Essex Regional Retirement Board, 465 Mass. 801 (2013) and PERAC Memorandum #32/2013, the Board has determined that the actuarial equivalent requires thatthe interest to be applied will be .5%.
October 8, 2024
CREDIT CARD USE
SECTION I. PURPOSE:
The purpose of this regulation is to establish guidelines and procedures for the use of Board issued credit cards for purchases of goods and services, as well as for Board approved educational travel and costs associated therewith.
SECTION II. AUTHORITY:
The Board is adopting this regulation consistent with 840 CMR 15.05.
SECTION III. OBJECTIVES:
The primary objective of the credit card regulation is to establish guidelines for the Board to purchase goods and/or services as necessary to administer the retirement system and/or for Board member and staff travel related expenses incurred while attending educational conferences and/or seminars. Specifically:
- To facilitate a streamlined method of purchasing items thereby reducing paperwork and processing time;
- To eliminate the need for several “store” issued credit cards and to consolidate purchases on one credit card;
- To provide a method of purchasing items via the Internet, thereby taking advantage of more competitive pricing for certain goods; and
- To eliminate the need for Board staff to utilize their own personal funds and/or credit cards to procure goods and/or services for the Board and the retirement system’s effective and efficient operation.
SECTION IV. SCOPE:
The Board will oversee the issuance of the credit cards in accordance with this regulation, and only the Executive Director/Director/Administrator shall be authorized to use the card consistent with this regulation. The overall credit limit for the Board shall not exceed $25,000. Each good and service purchase shall be preceded by a competitive procurement process by which the Board or the Executive Director/Director/Administrator seeks bids/pricing from reputable and established vendors who are in the business of providing the good or service. The process undertaken to procure a good or service that is not otherwise covered by M.G.L. c. 32, § 23B shall be memorialized and become part of the permanent file that is maintained consistent with this regulation, as must any documentation the vendor submits as part of the procurement process.
SECTION V. CREDIT CARD USE:
The credit card is to be used for Board and retirement system purchases only. Use of the credit card for personal purchases or expenses with the intention of reimbursing the Board is strictly prohibited. Cash advances through bank tellers or automated teller machines, obtaining bank or traveler’s checks or electronic cash transfers are strictly prohibited.
The Executive Director/Director/Administrator shall be responsible for purchases within established credit limits and shall maintain a file that is solely for the use of retaining receipts (electronic, paper or otherwise) for each purchase or credit card use. The receipts must be provided to the Board within 10 business days of the monthly statement date. If a receipt for the purchase of a good or service or pertaining to education/travel is not provided, the authorized user must reimburse the Board for the cost of the good, service or education-related expense. The Board shall be responsible for ensuring that any purchases with a Board credit card are consistent with this regulation. The Board shall review the credit card statement monthly at its regularly scheduled meeting to ensure that all credit card use is consistent with this regulation. Purchases for a good or service that exceeds $1,000 requires prior Board approval, or if the purchase is time sensitive, the Chair’s or Vice Chair’s prior approval.
If a return or exchange is required, the Executive Director/Director/Administrator shall verify that proper credit was received from the vendor and submit the appropriate paperwork to the Board for its review at a regularly scheduled monthly meeting. In no case shall the Executive Director/Director/Administrator accept cash in exchange for a returned item.
It is the responsibility of the Executive Director/Director/Administrator to notify the Board, the financial institution that issued the card and the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (“PERAC”) immediately if there is any suspected fraudulent activity on the credit card. It is essential that time frames and documentation requirements established by the credit card issuer be followed to protect the Board’s rights in a dispute.
The credit card bill shall be paid in full and on or before the due date so as not to incur any interest charges.
SECTION VI: COMPLIANCE/CANCELLATION OF CREDIT CARD:
Continued or repeated non-conformance to this regulation will result in the cancellation of the credit card account and such other actions as appropriate.
SECTION VII: EFFECTIVE DATE:
This regulation shall become effective upon PERAC approval.