2005 Missouri Revised Statutes - § 169.350. — Assets held in two funds--source and disbursement--deductions --contributions, employer may elect to pay part or all of employee\'s contribution, procedure.

169.350. 1. All of the assets of the retirement system (other than tangible real or personal property owned by the retirement system for use in carrying out its duties, such as office supplies and furniture) shall be credited, according to the purpose for which they are held, in either the employees' contribution fund or the general reserve fund.

(1) The employees' contribution fund shall be the fund in which shall be accumulated the contributions of the members. The employer shall, except as provided in subdivision (5) of this subsection, cause to be deducted from the compensation of each member on each and every payroll, for each and every payroll period, the pro rata portion of five and nine-tenths percent of his annualized compensation. Effective January 1, 1999, the employer shall deduct an additional one and six-tenths percent of the member's annualized compensation.

(2) The employer shall pay all such deductions and any amount it may elect to pay pursuant to subdivision (5) of this subsection to the retirement system at once. The retirement system shall credit such deductions and such amounts to the individual account of each member from whose compensation the deduction was made or with respect to whose compensation the amount was paid pursuant to subdivision (5) of this subsection. In determining the deduction for a member in any payroll period, the board of trustees may consider the rate of compensation payable to such member on the first day of the payroll period as continuing throughout such period.

(3) The deductions provided for herein are declared to be a part of the compensation of the member and the making of such deductions shall constitute payments by the member out of the person's compensation and such deductions shall be made notwithstanding that the amount actually paid to the member after such deductions is less than the minimum compensation provided by law for any member. Every member shall be deemed to consent to the deductions made and provided for herein, and shall receipt for the person's full compensation, and the making of the deduction and the payment of compensation less the deduction shall be a full and complete discharge and acquittance of all claims and demands whatsoever for services rendered during the period covered by the payment except as to benefits provided by sections 169.270 to 169.400.

(4) The accumulated contributions with interest of a member withdrawn by the person or paid to the person's estate or designated beneficiary in the event of the person's death before retirement shall be paid from the employees' contribution fund. Upon retirement of a member the member's accumulated contributions with interest shall be transferred from the employees' contribution fund to the general reserve fund.

(5) The employer may elect to pay on behalf of all members all or part of the amount that the members would otherwise be required to contribute to the employees' contribution fund pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection. Such amounts paid by the employer shall be in lieu of members' contributions and shall be treated for all purposes of sections 169.270 to 169.400 as contributions made by members. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter to the contrary, no member shall be entitled to receive such amounts directly. The election shall be made by a duly adopted resolution of the employer's board and shall remain in effect for at least one year from the effective date thereof. The election may be thereafter terminated only by an affirmative act of the employer's board notwithstanding any limitation in the term thereof in the adopting resolution. Any such termination resolution shall be adopted at least sixty days prior to the effective date thereof, and the effective date thereof shall coincide with a fiscal year-end of the employer. In the absence of such a termination resolution, the election shall remain in effect from fiscal year to fiscal year.

2. The general reserve fund shall be the fund in which shall be accumulated all reserves for the payment of all benefit expenses and other demands whatsoever upon the retirement system except those items heretofore allocated to the employees' contribution fund.

(1) All contributions by the employer, except those the employer elects to make on behalf of the members pursuant to subdivision (5) of subsection 1 of this section, shall be credited to the general reserve fund.

(2) Should a retirant be restored to active service and again become a member of the retirement system, the excess, if any, of the person's accumulated contributions over benefits received by the retirant shall be transferred from the general reserve fund to the employees' contribution fund and credited to the person's account.

3. Gifts, devises, bequests and legacies may be accepted by the board of trustees and deposited in the general reserve fund to be held, invested and used at its discretion for the benefit of the retirement system except where specific direction for the use of a gift is made by a donor.

(L. 1943 p. 787 § 9, A.L. 1951 p. 477, A.L. 1957 p. 396, A.L. 1961 p. 369, A.L. 1965 p. 291, A.L. 1967 lst Ex. Sess. p. 885, A.L. 1971 S.B. 140, A.L. 1973 H.B. 375, A.L. 1974 S.B. 574, A.L. 1978 H.B. 1503, A.L. 1982 H.B. 1522, A.L. 1989 S.B. 146, A.L. 1990 H.B. 1347, et al., A.L. 1993 S.B. 126, A.L. 1994 S.B. 575, A.L. 1998 S.B. 761)