HomeMy WebLinkAboutPolice & Fire Retirement Minutes 06.09.26OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF
TRUSTEES CITY OF LANSING
POLICE AND FIRE RETIREMENT SYSTEM
MEETING MINUTES
Regular Meeting June 9, 2026
10th Floor Conference Room Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.
The meeting was called to order at 8:30 a.m.
Present: Trustee Moore, Taylor, Wilcox, Wohlfert, Wright, Zolnai –6.
Absent: Garza, Schor
Others present: Karen E. Williams, Thomas Lindemann, Human Resources Department;
Attorney Aaron Castle, VanOverbeke, Michaud and Timmony; Nathan Burk (via phone),
Asset Consulting Group.
It was moved by Trustee Moore and supported by Trustee Zolnai to approve the Police and
Fire Retirement System Board Meeting minutes of May 12, 2026.
Adopted by the following vote: 6 – 0.
There were no public comments for items on the agenda.
Secretary's Report:
9 Sworn Police Officers , 0 reinstatements(s), 0 refund(s), 0 transfer(s), 1 retired.
Total: Active membership 321. 0 Death(s): Refunds made since last regular
meeting amounted to $25,798.47. Reimbursements to the System year-to-date
amount to $0.00. Retirement allowances for the month of May 2026 are
$3,536,305.93 Total retirement checks printed for P&F System 824, Total retirement
checks printed for both systems: 1731. Domestic relations orders received: 0.
Domestic relations orders pending: 0. Eligible Domestic Relations Order Certified: 0
There were no applications for Regular Age and Service Retirement.
Karen Williams reported that the Police and Fire Retirement System Board received an
application for duty disability evaluation. The request for Applicant #2026-P0609 was referred
to the disability subcommittee for review.
Trustee Moore indicated the disability subcommittee had met and reviewed the request of
Applicant #2026 – P 0609.
It was moved by Trustee Moore and supported by Trustee Wilcox to refer Applicant #2026 -
P0609 to the medical director for evaluation.
.
Adopted by the following vote: 6 – 0
Police and Fire Retirement System June 9, 2026
Meeting Minutes Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.
Page 2
There were no requests for Non-Duty Disability Retirement.
It was moved by Trustee Moore and supported by Trustee Zolnai to approve the following
requests for Refund of Accumulated Contributions:
Austin Ager (Fire) NOT VESTED $30,133.48
Hayden Erickson (Police) NOT VESTED $44,796.97
Nolan Meekhof (Police) NOT WESTED $ 7,691.31
Tyrice McClinton (Police) NOT VESTED $33,324.27
Adopted by the following vote: 6 – 0.
Karen Williams provided updates on upcoming conferences and training:
Members who attended the MAPERS Spring Conference (Bay City, May 2026) provided
oral reports. Trustee Wohlfert reported that the conference was well attended and
informative, with significant focus on artificial intelligence, data centers, and investment
implications. Trustee Taylor attended a session on disability subcommittee procedures and
requested a copy of the Board's disability policy and trustee handbook.
Members who attended the NCPERS Annual Spring Conference (Las Vegas, May 2026)
provided oral reports. Board Secretary Crystal Thomas reported on sessions addressing the
U.S. housing landscape, including a shortage of affordable housing and investment
opportunities in single- and multi-family asset classes. She also reported on sessions
covering artificial intelligence and its impact on municipal finance and accounting functions,
with emphasis on the importance of oversight and data governance.
Karen Williams reported on the upcoming IFEBP International Conference, to be held
October 28, 2026, in New Orleans. Members are encouraged to register and submit hotel
preferences early, as hotel rooms fill quickly. Thomas Lindemann noted that applications
have been submitted for three members from this board and one member from ERS.
September is the deadline for early registration discounts.
Karen Williams also noted that the MAPERS and NCPERS fall conferences will be placed
on the next agenda for members interested in attending.
Karen Williams reported that Trustee Garza called and requested to be excused from the June
Police and Fire Retirement System Board meeting. Trustee Schor is an ex-officio member
and does not require a formal motion to be excused.
It was moved by Trustee Moore and supported by Trustee Wright to excuse Trustee Garza
from the Police and Fire Retirement System Board April meeting.
Adopted by the following vote: 6 – 0.
Police and Fire Retirement System June 9, 2026
Meeting Minutes Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.
Page 3
Karen Williams provided the following invoice for approval: Northern Trust, $14,624.38,
It was moved by Moore and supported by Trustee Wilcox to approve the Police and Fire
Retirement System Board invoice for payment for the month of June 2026.
Adopted by the following vote: 6- 0
Attorney Castle provided a legal counsel report covering the following items:
Refund of Accumulated Contributions Form – Revisions. Attorney Castle presented a
revised Refund of Accumulated Contributions form, now separated into a Police and Fire-
specific form and an ERS-specific form. The revised form includes three new provisions:
(1) acknowledgment of the five-year time limitation on refund requests, confirming the
request is being made within five years of separation; (2) acknowledgment of receipt of the
IRS Safe Harbor Rollover Notice, as required under Internal Revenue Code Section 402(f);
and (3) disclaimer language confirming that the City and Retirement System do not provide
tax or financial advice and releasing the System from liability for actions taken in
conformance with the member's instructions. Upon the recommendation of the Board,
Attorney Castle agreed to add a date of termination at the top of the form.
It was moved by Trustee Taylor and supported by Trustee Zolnai to approve the revised
Refund of Accumulated Contributions form, as revised, including the addition of the date of
termination field.
Adopted by the following vote: 6 - 0
Review Schedule for Legal Counsel. Attorney Castle noted that the Board's policy and
review schedule It was moved and supported to recommend Milliman as the pension
administration software vendor, contingent upon ERS board concurrence, and subject to legal
review and negotiation of acceptable contract terms. The motion was made with the
understanding that if ERS does not concur, both boards would reconvene to determine a
mutually agreeable solution.
Adopted by the following vote: Unanimous.
The Board discussed convening a special joint session prior to the July regular meetings to
finalize the software selection, obtain final and best pricing proposals from Foster & Foster
and Milliman, and address remaining questions. The Chairperson is authorized to call a
special meeting, to be noticed at least 18 hours in advance and scheduled between the regular
July Police and Fire and ERS board meetings.
Police and Fire Retirement System June 9, 2026
Meeting Minutes Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.
Page 4
Karen Williams introduced the proposed withdrawal and disbursement procedure for health
care expenditures from the retirement portfolio for the Police and Fire Retirement System.
Crystal Thomas, Finance Director, Dennis Parker, Labor Relations, and the City Controller
were present to address questions.
The Board discussed the procedure for quarterly cash flow withdrawals to fund retiree health
care expenses. A separate Northern Trust cash account will be established to hold and
disburse health care funds. All deposits to and withdrawals from this account will be
exclusively for health care purposes, providing clear separation for reporting and audit
purposes. A portfolio reconciliation will be performed.
Attorney Castle reviewed the procedure and expressed general comfort with its terms. He
requested that a paper trail or supporting documentation be provided to the Board
substantiating the amount of the quarterly health care disbursement request from the City of
Lansing , such as a reconciled claims invoice or similar record, to ensure accountability to
the Board and the auditors.
It was moved by Trustee Taylor and supported by Trustee Wilcox to approve the City of
Lansing Police and Fire Retirement System Health Care Withdrawal and Disbursement
Procedure, contingent upon legal counsel review and revision to include documentation
requirements for disbursement requests.
Adopted by the following vote: Unanimous.
Karen Williams presented the annual ACG Transparency Letter. The letter acknowledges that
ACG may from time to time provide meals or similar business-related hospitality in connection
with meetings, training sessions, or other activities conducted in the normal and ordinary
course of business that require ACG's attendance. Any such hospitality will be reasonable in
nature, incidental to a legitimate business purpose, consistent with fiduciary duties and
conflicts of interest principles governing public entities and their officials and not intended to
influence the performance of official duties or decision-making. The Chairperson will sign the
letter, to which the Board's ethics policy will be appended.
Karen Williams provided a summary of reference checks conducted following the May 2026
vendor presentations. Four vendors were present at the Joint Meeting: Foster & Foster,
Milliman, Neidhart, and Pension Technology Group.
Reference contacts for Foster & Foster included the City of Pittsburgh and Cape Cod. Both
reported positive experiences with no significant issues relating to software, data conversion,
reporting, or cybersecurity. Foster & Foster was noted for providing on-site support. If
selected on a combined platform for both ERS and P&F, Foster & Foster confirmed via email
that a 25% discount would apply across all fees.
Police and Fire Retirement System June 9, 2026
Meeting Minutes Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.
Page 5
Reference contact for Milliman included Mr. Joel Thompson of Pueblo, Colorado Mr.
Thompson gave Milliman his highest recommendation. He reported that the implementation
was on schedule, that the system was easy to use and customize, and that Milliman's
customer support was highly responsive. His situation was described as similar to the City of
Lansing's in that he transitioned from a largely manual system.
Neidhart was not contacted for references following concerns raised by the IT Director
regarding cybersecurity at the May interviews.
Reference contact for Pension Technology Group was limited; the contact did not have time
to respond to questions in detail but indicated no significant issues with the software.
Attorney Castle distributed an email from Foster & Foster confirming the 25% combined-
platform discount. The Board discussed the relative merits and pricing of Foster & Foster
and Milliman, with Trustee commentary noting that Milliman pricing was lower on an
absolute basis, and that Milliman's references and overall functionality were strong.
Concerns were noted regarding Milliman's quoted implementation hours and potential
additional fees for custom work. Foster & Foster was noted for more comprehensive pricing
transparency.
It was moved by Trustee Wilcox and supported by Trustee Moore to separate from and
terminate the existing contract with Tegrit.
Adopted by the following vote: 6 - 0.
It was moved by Trustee Zolnai and supported by Trustee Taylor to recommend Milliman as
the pension administration software vendor, contingent upon ERS board concurrence, and
subject to legal review and negotiation of acceptable contract terms.
The Police and Fire Retirement Board agreed that its motion was made with the
understanding that if ERS does not concur, both boards would reconvene to determine a
mutually agreeable solution.
Adopted by the following vote: 6 - 0.
The Board discussed convening a special joint session prior to the July regular meetings to
finalize the software selection, obtain final and best pricing proposals from Foster & Foster
and Milliman, and address remaining questions. The Chairperson is authorized to call a
special meeting, to be noticed at least 18 hours in advance and scheduled between the regular
July Police and Fire and ERS board meetings.
Karen Williams presented the Monthly Investment Report for the month ending May 31, 2026,
on behalf of Nathan Burk, Asset Consulting Group, who was unavailable for the meeting.
It was moved by Trustee Moore and supported by Trustee Zolnai to adjourn the Police and
Fire Retirement System June meeting.
Adopted by the following vote: Unanimous.
The Meeting was adjourned at 9:18 a.m.
Minutes approved on 7/21/2026
_______________________
Crystal Thomas, Secretary
Police and Fire Retirement System
_____________________________
Eric P. Wohlfert, Chairperson
Police and Fire Retirement System