Orange County NC Website
40 <br /> in the adopted budget for Fiscal Year 2010 the Undesi nated Fund Bal- <br /> ance for FYE is the same amount as the Unreserved Fund Balance. The adopted 2009-2010 budget <br /> included General Fund appropriation of $177.6 million which is a reduction of $5.4 million from <br /> prior years original budget. Property was revalued in 2009. The Board adopted a tax revenue neu- <br /> tral tax rate of.858 cents per hundred for fiscal 2009-10 which reduced the tax rate to generate the <br /> same total tax revenue as the previous fiscal year. The adopted budget for FYE 2010 contains ap- <br /> propriations to meet debt service payments on all County debt including projected debt service pay- <br /> ments related to these bonds. <br /> Pension Plans <br /> The County participates in the North Carolina Local Governmental Employees' Retirement <br /> System. <br /> North Carolina Local Governmental Employees'Retirement System—The North Carolina Lo- <br /> cal Governmental Employees'Retirement System is a service agency administered through a board <br /> of trustees by the State for public employees of counties, cities,boards, commissions and other simi- <br /> lar governmental entities. While the State Treasurer is the custodian of system funds, administra- <br /> tive costs are borne by the participating employer governmental entities. The State makes no <br /> contributions to the system. <br /> The system provides, on a uniform system-wide basis, retirement and, at each employer's op- <br /> tion, death benefits from contributions made by employers and employees. Employee members con- <br /> tribute six percent of their individual compensation. Each new employer makes a normal <br /> contribution plus, where applicable, a contribution to fund any accrued liability over a 24-year pe- <br /> riod. The normal contribution rate, uniform for all employers, is currently 4.80 percent of eligible <br /> payroll for general employees and 5.27 percent of eligible payroll for law enforcement officers. The <br /> accrued liability contribution rate is determined separately for each employer and covers the liabili- <br /> ty of the employer for benefits based on employees'service rendered prior to the date the employer <br /> joins the system. <br /> Members qualify for a vested deferred benefit at age 50 with at least 20 years of creditable ser- <br /> vice;at age 60 after at least five years of creditable service to the unit of local government. Unre- <br /> duced benefits are available: at age 65,with at least five years of service; at age 60,with at least 25 <br /> years of creditable service;or after 30 years of creditable service,regardless of age.Benefit payments <br /> are computed by taking an average of the annual compensation for the four consecutive years of <br /> membership service yielding the highest average. This average is then adjusted by a percentage <br /> formula, by a total years of service factor, and by an age service factor if the individual is not eligible <br /> for unreduced benefits. <br /> Contributions to the system are determined on an actuarial basis. <br /> For information concerning the County's participation in the North Carolina Local Governmen- <br /> tal Employees'Retirement System and the Supplemental Retirement Income Plan of North Carolina <br /> see the Notes to the County's Audited Financial Statements in Appendix D. <br /> Financial statements and required supplementary information for the North Carolina Local <br /> Governmental Employees'Retirement System are included in the Comprehensive Annual Financial <br /> Report("CAFR")for the State.Please refer to the State's CAFR for additional information. <br /> Other Post-Employment Benefits <br /> Under the County Personnel Ordinance the County administers a single employer defined ben- <br /> efit Retiree Healthcare Benefits Plan. This plan provides post employment health care benefits to <br /> retirees of the County provided they participate in the North Carolina Local Government Employees <br /> Retirement System and have at least ten years of creditable service with the County or either age 65 <br /> 22 <br />