Employer Eligibility
Certain public employers may elect to become a participating public employer and to cover its employees under the system. Below is a list of public employers that are eligible to elect coverage.
| Public Employer Type | Authorizing Legislation |
|---|---|
| Joint county and municipal sanitation authority | A.C.A. § 14-233-101 et seq. |
| Municipality | N/A |
| Public facilities board | A.C.A. § 14- 137-101 et seq. |
| Public Rehabilitation Services Corporation | A.C.A. § 4-34- 101 et seq. |
| Public water authority | A.C.A. § 4-35-101 et seq. |
| Regional airport authority (formed after January 1, 1990) | A.C.A. § 14- 362-101 et seq. |
| Regional solid waste management board | A.C.A. § 8-6-701 et seq. |
| Regional water distribution board | A.C.A. § 14-116-101 et seq. |
| Rural waterworks facilities board | A.C.A. § 14-238-101 et seq |
| Suburban improvement district | A.C.A. § 14-92-501 et seq |
| Metropolitan Port Authority | A.C.A. § 14-13 185-101 |
| Public Transit Authority | A.C.A. § 14-334-101 |
Employer Election
Public employers must elect coverage which requires a vote of either their employees or the governing body, depending on the entity type. See the Resources section for the Joining the System publication which provides the election requirements for each employer type.
After the election, the governing body of the entity or the clerk or recorder of the municipality must certify the vote to the system within ten days after the vote. The vote must specify the effective date of coverage, and that effective date must be either:
- the first day of the calendar month following our receipt of the election results, or
- the July 1 following our receipt of the election results.
Termination of Other Retirement Plans
It is considered sound public policy to limit contributions by public employers to one state-authorized retirement plan. Accordingly, employers joining the system must cease contributing to any other state-authorized plan that requires employer contributions.
Employer Responsibilities
After an employer becomes a participating public employer, we manage most of the plan administration; however, employers have certain recurring responsibilities. All responsibilities are completed in the myAPERS portal which is an online tool that interfaces with our pension administration system.
See the Resources section for the myAPERS Tasks and Functions publication for a complete list of tasks and functions that participating employers must perform.
Resources
- Publication: Joining the System
- Publication: MyAPERS Employer Roles and Functions
- Form: Employer Enrollment Request Form