Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same,
as follows:
SECTION 1.
Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter 32 of the
General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, the city of
Cambridge, acting through the city manager, may, as of an effective date to be
determined by said city manager, establish that a limited number of employees
of said city, no greater than five who are employed and paid by the water
department as water treatment plant operators, at grades I through IV, who are
members of the retirement system of said city and otherwise eligible for a
superannuation retirement, who shall have filed a written application for
superannuation retirement pursuant to section 5 of said chapter 32 no
earlier than 30 days after such effective date, but no later than 60 days
after such effective date, specifying a retirement date no later than 90 days
after such effective date, shall have their normal yearly amount of the
retirement allowance as determined under paragraph (a) of subdivision (2) of
said section 5 of said chapter 32 computed according to the table contained
in said paragraph (a) based upon the age of such member and his number of
years and full months of creditable service at the time of his retirement
increased, at the option of the employee, by up to three years of age or by up
to three years of creditable service or by a combination of additional years of
age and service the sum of which shall not be greater than three; provided,
however, that whereas participation under this act is limited to five eligible
employees employed as water treatment plant operators in the water department
of said city, the retirement of employees with the greatest creditable service
from among those eligible and so applying shall be approved before approval is
given to employees with lesser creditable service.
SECTION 2.
As used in this act, the words used herein shall
have the same meaning as in chapter 32 of the General Laws unless the context
clearly requires otherwise. An employee who retires and receives an additional
benefit in accordance with the provisions of this act shall be deemed to be
retired for superannuation under the provisions of said chapter 32 and shall
be subject to the provisions of said chapter 32.
SECTION 3.
The total normal yearly amount of the retirement
allowance, as determined in accordance with the provisions of section 5 of
chapter 32 of the General Laws, of any employee who retires and receives an
additional benefit in accordance with the provisions of this act shall not
exceed four-fifths of the average annual rate of his regular compensation
received during any period of three consecutive years of creditable service for
which such rate of compensation was the highest or of the average annual rate
of regular compensation received by such member during the period or periods,
whether
consecutive or not, constituting his last three years of creditable service
preceding retirement.
SECTION 4.
The retirement board of the city of Cambridge shall
prepare a
funding schedule which shall reflect the costs and the actuarial liabilities
attributable to the additional benefits payable under this section and said
schedule shall be designed to reduce the retirement system's additional pension
liability of said city attributable to such costs and liabilities to zero on or
before June 30, 2013; provided, however, that said retirement board shall
triennially update such schedule until June 30, 2013.
SECTION 5.
This act shall take effect upon its passage.
Approved October 15, 1998.