Authorizes the village of Trumansburg to offer an optional twenty-year retirement plan to Mackenzie M. Covert under section 384-d of the retirement and social security law.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8544
SPONSOR: Kelles TITLE OF BILL:
An act in relation to authorizing Mackenzie M. Covert to receive certain
service credit under a twenty year retirement plan
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
to restore Mackenzie M. Covert, an employee of the Village of Trumans-
burg, to the appropriate retirement plan
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Sec. 1- allows the Village of Trumansburg to reopen the provisions of
section 384-d of the Retirement and Social Security Law (RSSL) for
police officer Mackenzie M. Covert, who is currently covered under
section 375-i of the RSSL;
Sec. 2 - provides that all costs will be borne by the Village of
Trumansburg;
Sec. 3 - effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
The Village of Trumansburg opted into the NYSLRS 384-d Retirement Plan
in 2019 for officers of the Trumansburg Police Department (TPD). Macken-
zie M. Covert, an officer of the TPD, has nevertheless not been included
as a member in 384-d. The Village has been unsuccessful in its attempts
to seek administrative relief. Legislation is the only remaining means
to move this officer into the correct NYSLRS Retirement Plan.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
new bill
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
This bill will require an increase of approximately $10,000 in the annu-
al contributions of the Village of Trumansburg for the fiscal year
ending March 31, 2026. In future years this cost will vary as the bill-
ing rates and salary of Mackenzie M. Covert change. In addition, there
will be an immediate past service cost of approximately $139,000 which
will be borne by the Village of Trumansburg as a one-time payment.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
immediately
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8544
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 20, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Governmental Employees
AN ACT in relation to authorizing Mackenzie M. Covert to receive certain
service credit under a twenty year retirement plan
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary,
2 Mackenzie M. Covert, a member of the New York state and local police and
3 fire retirement system, who was appointed as a police officer with the
4 Trumansburg Police Department, in the village of Trumansburg, county of
5 Tompkins, on February 13, 2017, and who, through no fault of her own,
6 was enrolled to participate in the retirement plan contained in section
7 375-i of the retirement and social security law, shall be given full
8 credit in the special twenty year retirement plan contained in section
9 384-d of the retirement and social security law for such service upon
10 the election of the village of Trumansburg to assume the additional cost
11 of such service. The village of Trumansburg may so elect by filing with
12 the state comptroller, no later than one year from the effective date of
13 this act, a resolution of its local legislative body, together with
14 certification that such police officer did not bar herself from partic-
15 ipation in such retirement plan as a result of her own negligence. Ther-
16 eafter, such police officer may elect to be covered by the provisions of
17 section 384-d of the retirement and social security law, and shall be
18 entitled to the full rights and benefits associated with coverage under
19 such section, by filing a request to such effect with the state comp-
20 troller no later than one year from the effective date of this act.
21 § 2. All past service costs associated with implementing the
22 provisions of this act shall be borne by the village of Trumansburg, in
23 the county of Tompkins.
24 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11331-03-5
A. 8544 2
This bill would allow the Village of Trumansburg to reopen the
provisions of section 384-d of the Retirement and Social Security Law
(RSSL) for police officer Mackenzie M. Covert, who is currently covered
under section 375-i of the RSSL.
If this bill is enacted during the 2025 Legislative Session, we antic-
ipate that there will be an increase of approximately $10,000 in the
annual contributions of the Village of Trumansburg for the fiscal year
ending March 31, 2026. In future years this cost will vary as the bill-
ing rates and salary of Mackenzie M. Covert change.
In addition to the annual contributions discussed above, there will be
an immediate past service cost of approximately $139,000 which will be
borne by the Village of Trumansburg as a one-time payment. This estimate
assumes that payment will be made on February 1, 2026.
Summary of relevant resources:
Membership data as of March 31, 2024 was used in measuring the impact
of the proposed change, the same data used in the April 1, 2024 actuari-
al valuation. Distributions and other statistics can be found in the
2024 Report of the Actuary and the 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial
Report. The actuarial assumptions and methods used are described in the
2024 Annual Report to the Comptroller on Actuarial Assumptions, and the
Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York: Audit and
Control. The Market Assets and GASB Disclosures are found in the March
31, 2024 New York State and Local Retirement System Financial Statements
and Supplementary Information.
This fiscal note does not constitute a legal opinion on the viability
of the proposed change nor is it intended to serve as a substitute for
the professional judgment of an attorney.
This estimate, dated April 28, 2025, and intended for use only during
the 2025 Legislative Session, is Fiscal Note No. 2025-157. As Chief
Actuary of the New York State and Local Retirement System, I, Aaron
Schottin Young, hereby certify that this analysis complies with applica-
ble Actuarial Standards of Practice as well as the Code of Professional
Conduct and Qualification Standards for Actuaries Issuing Statements of
Actuarial Opinion of the American Academy of Actuaries, of which I am a
member.
