Archived News

  • The DRAFT 2018 operating budget was initially presented to the Board on 10/12/17. It was revised at the 11/9/17 Board meeting and is available for member review. The proposed budget may be found here. Time will be allotted for member comments on the proposed budget at the 12/14/17 Board meeting, along with further discussion by the Board.
  • An email was generated by the system stating the November pay stubs were available on Web Member Services today, however, they will not be available until tomorrow morning, November 30, 2017. 
  • The full, 11-member Board met for the first time Thursday, October 12, 2017.  The new Board had to hit the ground running because HB 3158 has specific required tasks for the Board to accomplish over the next several months.  The major agenda items related DROP issues including the annuitization of DROP balances, the rules associated with a DROP revocation, and DROP hardship distribution rules.  Staff is preparing a draft of the new DROP policy for the Board’s consideration at a November 1st Special Board meeting.   Please check the website for an official meeting posting and agenda which will be available on October 27th. The following results of the Trustee Election were certified by the Nominations Committee 10/10. Police Officer Trustee: Joe Schutz. Non-member Trustees: Blaine Dickens, Gilbert Andrew Garcia, and Tina Hernandez Patterson.

  • Pursuant to HB 3158, Mayor Rawlings has appointed six trustees to the DPFP Board with their terms commencing September 1. Biographies of each of the appointees can be found here. The new trustees are as follows:

     

    • William F. Quinn
    • Kneeland Youngblood
    • Ray Nixon
    • Nicholas A. Merrick
    • Frederick E. Rowe
    • Robert C. Walters

     

    Mr. Youngblood, Mr. Nixon and Mr. Merrick shall each serve an initial two-year term. Mr. Quinn, Mr. Rowe and Mr. Walters shall each serve an initial three-year term. All subsequent appointees of the Mayor will serve three-year terms.

  • On Thursday, August 24th, the Judge denied the Temporary Restraining Order that was filed last week in the Degan case that sought to stop the annuitization of the DROP balances. The motion can be found here.
  • For members with DROP balances, the DROP Projection Report has been temporarily removed from the DROP Information section of Web Member Services while updates are being made to reflect changes from House Bill 3158. As soon as the changes have been completed, we will notify members of the availability of the report.
  • On June 8, the Board adopted an amendment to the DROP Policy Addendum previously adopted on 1/12/17. The Amendment removes the possibility for any pro-rata lump sum payments from DROP. Per HB 3158, if any lump sum payments are made prior to 9/1/17 other than those stated as allowable in HB 3158, the bill would be considered null and void. The relevant policies and amendments can be seen HERE.
  • On May 31, Governor Abbott signed HB 3158 into law. The Plan changes will become effective September 1, 2017. A summary of the Plan changes as compared to the current Plan can be seen HERE. The bill as signed by the Governor can be seen HERE.

  • The Nominations Committee has scheduled a meeting for October 10th at 3p.m. to certify the election results.

    The Meeting will be held on the second floor of the DPFP office at 4100 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75219. Parking is available on the upper deck of the parking garage. The agenda can be found here.

  • The City alerted us the evening of September 21st that an error was made in calculating Police and Fire members City payroll. This error impacted tax withholding and the net payroll check. The pension contributions withheld were calculated correctly. The City will be correcting the error with a direct deposit early next week.  Please contact the City with any questions.

  • Due to scheduling conflicts, certain of the items originally planned for the September 14th Board meeting agenda will be postponed to a later date. An Order of Business reflecting the items which are planned to be addressed at the 9/14 meeting can be seen HERE.  

  • On September 1, the Nominations Committee held their first official meeting, called for interested candidates in the upcoming Trustee election, and approved an election schedule. The complete election notice with further details can be found HERE. The election schedule can be found HERE.

    On May 31, Governor Abbott signed into law House Bill 3158 which mandates changes to the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System which will go into effect on September 1, 2017. One important change is the governance structure. The Nominations Committee is seeking interested candidates to serve on the Board of Trustees. They are seeking one active or former Dallas Police Officer, one active or former Dallas Fire Fighter and three trustees who are non-members (never served as a Dallas Police Officer or Fire Fighter).

  • Ballots for the Trustee Election were mailed and emailed on Friday, 9/29 and additional emails are being sent today, 10/2. Only members who have registered for eCorrespondence on Web Member Services will receive a ballot via email. If you are not on eCorrespondence, please allow time for the ballot to arrive in US Mail. If you are on eCorrespondence and have not received your ballot by the end of the day on 10/2, or if you have not received it through US Mail by 10/4, you may contact Election America, DPFP’s election vendor, at either 866-384-9978 or help+dpfps@election-america.com. In the meantime, if you are unsure whether you are on eCorrespondence, you can contact our office at 214-638-3863 or info@dpfp.org and our staff can confirm how your ballot was sent to you.

  • The Nominations Committee met on September 18th and certified the ballot for the Trustee election.  The following three candidates were vetted and selected by the Committee to be put forward in the election for the Non-member Trustee positions:  Blaine Dickens, Gilbert Andrew Garcia, and Tina Hernandez Patterson.  The three Non-member Trustee positions are elected by both active Police Officers and Fire Fighters and Pensioners.  These three candidates are not running against each other as there are three Non-member Trustee positions.   Active Police Officers, Fire Fighters and Pensioners will be asked on the ballot to either Approve or Not Approve each candidate individually.   Each candidate receiving more votes of Approve than Not Approve will be elected as a Non-member Trustee.  The candidate’s statements and resumes can be found here. 

    The Nominations Committee also certified the ballot for the Police Officer Trustee election.  Five candidates are running for the Police Officer Trustee position:  Kenneth S. Haben, Stephen C. Paz, Joe Schutz, Scott Walton and Thomas White.  In addition to the Non-member Trustee election, active Police Officers will also be asked to vote for ONE Police Officer to fill the Police Officer Trustee position.  The candidate’s statements can be found here. 

    There was only one applicant to serve in the Fire Fighter Trustee position, Sam Friar.  Since there was only one applicant, there will not be an election for the Fire Fighter Trustee position. Sam Friar was certified by the Nominations Committee pursuant to its policy to be elected as a Trustee.   Active Fire Fighters will only participate in the Non-member Trustee election as there is no election for the Fire Fighter Trustee position.   

    Ballots will be mailed (or emailed) on September 29, 2017.   The election opens at 8:00 a.m. Central time on Monday, October 2, 2017 and closes at noon Central time on Monday, October 9, 2017. The results will be announced on October 10.

  • The election opens at 8:00 a.m. Central time on Monday, October 2, 2017 and closes at noon Central time on Monday, October 9, 2017. The results will be announced on October 10.

    The following three candidates were vetted and selected by the Committee to be put forward in the election for the Non-member Trustee positions:  Blaine Dickens, Gilbert Andrew Garcia, and Tina Hernandez Patterson.  The three Non-member Trustee positions are elected by all members.  These three candidates are not running against each other as there are three Non-member Trustee positions.   Members are asked on the ballot to either Approve or Not Approve each candidate individually.   Each candidate receiving more votes of Approve than Not Approve will be elected as a Non-member Trustee.  The candidate’s statements and resumes can be found here.

    Five candidates are running for the Police Trustee position:  Kenneth S. Haben, Stephen C. Paz, Joe Schutz, Scott Walton and Thomas White.  Active Police members will also be asked to vote for ONE Police Officer to fill the Police Officer Trustee position.  A candidate must receive at least 50% of the votes to be elected. The candidate’s statements can be found here.

    There was only one applicant to serve in the Fire Fighter Trustee position, Sam Friar, therefore there is no election for the Fire Fighter Trustee position. Sam Friar was certified by the Nominations Committee pursuant to its policy to be elected as a Trustee.   Active Fire Fighters will only participate in the Non-member Trustee election as there is no election for the Fire Fighter Trustee position.  

  • The results of the 2017 Trustee Election are as follows. The results are subject to certification at the April 13 Board meeting. New trustee terms begin June 1.

    Police Pensioner, Place 1:
    Thomas D. Bowers, Jr. – 88 votes; 14%
    Kenneth Sprecher – 373 votes; 57%
    Joseph Thompson – 188 votes; 29%

    Fire Pensioner, Place 1:
    Jerry T. Minter – 184 votes; 38%
    Larry D. Williams – 303 votes; 62%

  • For 2017, the amount of federal tax being withheld from your monthly benefit payments (if any) may change because the withholding tables have changed. If your payments are less than $1,720 a month, we will not withhold income tax from those payments unless you specifically request withholding, or have already done so. Until you file a new election with us, your prior choice as to whether to have withholding, and on what basis will remain in effect. You may change your election using a Form W-4P and sending to the DPFP office. There is no need to complete the form unless you wish to change the election you have already made. If you make a change, it will be put into effect for the next month end payment, provided we receive the form by the 15th of the month.
  • For retirees who have Medicare deducted from their pension benefit payment, there was a miscommunication between the City and DPFP regarding City payroll changes in February which caused excess Medicare deductions to be processed on 2/28/17. In order to refund impacted Members, the 3/31/17 benefit payment will not include a Medicare deduction. If you have any questions, please contact the City Benefits Services Center at 214-671-6947, option #1.
  • The Required Minimum Distributions for 2017 were paid on January 27. Federal income taxes have been withheld at a rate of 10% in accordance with IRS regulations. Please watch for your direct deposit advice and letter related to this distribution in the mail if you are subject to an RMD.
  • For retirees who have Medicare deducted from their pension benefit payment, there was a miscommunication between the City and DPFP regarding City payroll changes in February which caused excess Medicare deductions to be processed on 2/28/17. In order to refund impacted Members, the 3/31/17 benefit payment will not include a Medicare deduction. If you have any questions, please contact the City Benefits Services Center at 214-671-6947, option #1.
  • Due to a sorting error in the mail merge process, letters describing the HB 3158 plan changes for one group of retirees matched the incorrect first name with the member's last name and address. We apologize for the error, new letters were mailed to this group of retirees.
  •  On May 25, the House of Representatives concurred on HB 3158 as amended by the Senate with a unanimous vote of 142 to 0. The bill will now be sent to the Governor for his signature. The Governor has 20 days after final adjournment of the legislature on May 29 to either sign the bill into law or veto the bill. If the Governor takes no action within 20 days after final adjournment of the legislature, the bill will become law.
  •  On May 23, CSHB 3158 was passed through the 2nd and 3rd readings in the Senate. The bill will now return to the House for concurrence and will then be subject to the Governor’s approval. For current status of the bill, see HERE. A Special Meeting of the Board will be held on Monday, 5/22 at 8:30am to brief the Board on the amendments to CSHB 3158 as passed by the Senate State Affairs Committee. A Special Meeting had previously been scheduled for Sunday, 5/21, however that meeting has been canceled.
  •  On 5/18, the committee substitute for HB 3158 was unanimously passed in the first reading in the Senate State Affairs Committee. See HERE for a statement from Chairman Sam Friar. It is expected to proceed to the 2nd reading in the Senate early next week.
  • Four amendments were made to HB 3158 as it went through the Texas House of Representatives for approval, one amendment was made on 2nd reading by Representative Jason Villalba and it can be found HERE, three amendments were made on 3rd reading by Representative Yvonne Davis and they can be found HERE.
    On 5/4, HB 3158 unanimously passed the third reading in the House of Representatives, with minor amendments. The bill now move on to the Senate. See HERE for a statement from Chairman Friar.
  •  The 3rd reading of HB 3158 is scheduled for today’s House meeting (5/4). A live broadcast of the 85h Legislative Session can be seen HERE. It is not scheduled for a specific time, however it will not be earlier than 12pm. We will provide more information as it is available.
  •  On 5/3, HB 3158 unanimously passed the second reading in the House of Representatives. The third reading will occur on 5/4 and potential amendments may be debated. Any amendments require a 2/3 vote to be incorporated. See HERE for a statement from Chairman Friar.
  • On 4/12, Mayor Rawlings sent another LETTER to the legislature with modifications to his 4/7 requests. DPFP is in ongoing discussions with Chairman Flynn’s staff and the Pension Review Board on proposals that impact HB 3158. We will continue to keep our members posted as the bill progresses through the process.
    On Wednesday, 5/3, HB 3158 is on the General State Calendar to be considered by the full House. The live broadcast of the meeting may be viewed HERE. HB 3158 is the 58th bill on the agenda, so it could possibly be late in the day when it is discussed.
  • On 4/20, the Mayor issued a letter to taxpayers criticizing HB 3158. In response, Chairman Sam Friar released this STATEMENT.
  • On 4/7, Mayor Rawlings sent this LETTER to Chairman Flynn and the House Dallas Delegation with requested changes to HB 3158. On 4/11, DPFP responded with this LETTER stating our position on the City’s requests and disagreement with many of their actuarial assumptions.
  • At the 4/12 House Pensions Committee meeting, HB 3158 was voted out of Committee with a vote of 6-0. It is expected to head to the House floor for consideration by the full House. We will provide updates when a floor debate has been scheduled. See HERE for the Committee substitute of HB 3158.
  • Related to the House Pensions Committee hearing on 4/3 and the City’s position on HB 3158, the Chairman has released the a statement which can be seen HERE. #BackThePension
  • On 3/14, DPFP’s Executive Director released the following statement regarding the pending legislation impacting the DPFP Plan – see HERE.
  • In the 3/9/17 Board meeting, the Board adopted a Resolution certifying a reserve amount resulting in no excess liquidity available for pro-rata DROP distributions for the month of March. See HERE for the presentation which was made to the Board by staff. The $3K Minimum Annual Distributions will be paid as installments with the 3/31 benefit payments.
  • On 3/2, DPFP received notice of a lawsuit filed by a retired member against the eight service Trustees of the Board, intervening in the Rawlings suit. The filing can be found HERE and will be discussed in our 3/9 Board meeting.
  • Mailing of Form 1099s and Annual Statements
    Form 1099s will be mailed to retirees and beneficiaries by January 27, 2017.
    Annual Benefit Statements and DROP Statements will be mailed to all active members and retirees with a DROP account on January 23, 2017.
  • Any members on eCorrespondence will receive these communications electronically.
  • On 2/8, DPFP received notice of a lawsuit filed by the four City Council members who serve as DPFP Trustees, against the eight service Trustees of the Board. A statement from DPFP can be found HERE. The filing can be found HERE and will be discussed in our 2/9 Board meeting.
  • The Board has scheduled a Special Meeting for Monday, February 27th at 6:30pm. The only item on the agenda is the Rawlings lawsuit and the discussion is expected to be held virtually all in closed session. There will be no opportunity for member comments at this meeting. There will be opportunity for member comments at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting on March 9th.
  • At its Board meeting on January 12, 2017, the DPFP Board of Trustees called for the 2017 Trustee Election to be held March 24 - April 7. The election notice can be found HERE.
  • On 2/20, the Board held a Special Meeting to review two Plan Amendment proposals. The Board voted unanimously to support Chairman Flynn’s plan versus the Mayor’s plan. See a summary of the two proposals HERE.
  • The Board will hold a Special Meeting on Monday, 2/20 at 8:30am. The agenda can be seen HERE.
  • The Board will hold a Special Meeting on Tuesday, 2/14 at 1:30pm. The agenda can be seen HERE.
  • The temporary injunction hearing scheduled for Tuesday, January 17th in the Rawlings lawsuit has been canceled. Mayor Rawlings requested the hearing date be withdrawn. DPFP statement on this can be found HERE.