Last year I wrote short note on the history of the investment fees paid by the five pension fund sponsored by New York City.
On January 30, 2013 the Governor signed Chapter 3 of the Laws of 2013 changing the assumed interest rate for the five pension funds from 8% gross of fees to 7% net of fees. the legislation was drafted the NYCERS actuary, Robert North. It did a lot of other things but that was the big item. One of those minor things, however, deals with how city repays to the five pension funds the investment expenses incurred by the pension funds in the previous fiscal year (see below: S.13-705, NYC Admin Code). These expenses include the subsidy that the pension funds pay to the Comptroller for his regular operating budget that is part of the total city budget adopted by the City Council.
Beginning in FY-1999 the original legislation required the city to pay in FY-2000 with 8% interest all investment expenses incurred in FY- 199. This meant that these expenses were treated as operating expenses and not long term capital expenses. This is a very sound accounting practice. This legislation was also drafted by the NYCERS actuary.
You can further see that that starting with FY-2005 the law was changed to allow the city to repay expenses two years later rather than one year, so that FY-2005 was paid back in FY-2007 rather that in FY-2006. Again with 8% interest. This amending legislation was also drafted by the actuary.
You can also see that the law was again changed starting with FY-2010. And again it was drafted by the actuary. This change allows the city to treat the repayment of investment expenses as a long term capital expense rather than an operating expense. The new change also dropped the interest rate charge, in effect making this a interest free loan. Needless to say this is not a sound accounting practice. It gave the current city administration a payment holiday now and dropped the costs on a future city administration. This is how a pension crisis is born.
The new statute is listed below. It is the last item at the end of thirty two sections amending the NYC Admin Code. The new language is underlined as is standard.
§ 32. Subdivision d of section 13-705 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as amended by chapter 152 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
d. In each city fiscal year, beginning with investment expenses paid during the nineteen hundred ninety-eight--nineteen hundred ninety-nine fiscal year, whenever the income, interest or dividends derived from deposits or investments of the funds of a retirement system are used pursuant to subdivision b of this section to pay the expenses incurred by such retirement system in acquiring, managing or protecting invest- ments of its funds, the monies so paid shall be made a charge to be paid by each participating employer otherwise required to make contributions to such retirement system no later than the end of the fiscal year next succeeding the fiscal year during which such monies were drawn upon, provided,
however, that where such charge is for such investment expenses paid during fiscal year two thousand four--two thousand five or during any subsequent fiscal year, such charge shall be paid by each such participating employer no later than the end of the second fiscal year succeeding the fiscal year during which such monies were drawn upon
, provided further that the provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to investment expenses paid during the two thousand nine--two thousand ten fiscal year or during any subsequent fiscal year.
In the event that such retirement system has more than one participating employer, the actuary shall calculate and allocate to each such partic- ipating employer its share of such charge.
All charges to be paid pursu- ant to this subdivision shall be paid at the regular rate of interest utilized by the actuary in determining employer contributions to the retirement system pursuant to the provisions of paragraph two of subdi- vision b of section 13-638.2 of this title.
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