Poquoson switches line-of-duty death benefit management [Daily Press, Newport News, Va.]

May 30--POQUOSON -- Poquoson City Council Tuesday unanimously voted to opt out of the Virginia Retirement System's Line of Duty Act Fund and to instead go with a lower rate option with the Virginia Municipal League.

Poquoson City Manager Randy Wheeler said the city could stay with the VRS fund, self-insure the line of duty benefit, or join pools with the Virginia Municipal League or the Virginia Association of Counties. Theresa Owens, finance director for Poquoson, said more and more local governments have been opting out of the VRS line of duty fund, leaving fewer people paying more of the claims.

Due to Poquoson's small size and infrequency of its use of the benefit, it did not make sense for the city to stay with the VRS fund when the league's pool offered a lower rate, Owens said. The city already offers worker's compensation, property and liability insurance through the league.

Wheeler stressed that the city's line-of-duty benefits offered to firefighters and police officers would "in no way change" and was just a change of how the benefit is managed. The city currently offers a death benefit of $100,000 for eligible employees who are killed while still employed for the city or $25,000 within five years of ending employment with the city.

City Council passed two other resolutions dealing with the VRS that were included in the 2013 budget approved earlier this month. Council opted to provide a 5 percent raise to cover a state mandated 5 percent employee contribution to VRS as well as go with a cheaper option to pay 70 percent of a higher employer contribution rate to VRS.

In other business Tuesday, Council voted to appropriate $254,830 for the construction of a new Public Works administration building to replace a trailer which housed public works administration that was destroyed in a fire earlier this year.

Council also unanimously appointed Gail Whittaker, an employee in York County's Public Information Office, as the new Poquoson School Board member for the Central Precinct. Incumbent School Board members Robin Sydnor from the Eastern Precinct and At-Large member Steven Kast were also re-appointed.

Whittaker and Kast were unopposed. Sydnor was challenged by one additional applicant, Wayne Holcomb.

The terms for all three School Board members will expire in 2015.

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