38-902. Joinder agreement

A. County detention officers and nonuniformed employees of a sheriff's department whose primary duties require direct contact with inmates may participate in this plan if the board of supervisors of the county enters into a joinder agreement with the board of trustees to bring such employees into this plan. The joinder agreement shall be in accordance with the provisions of this plan. All such employees shall be designated for membership in the joinder agreement unless written consent to the contrary is obtained from the board.

B. City or town detention officers may participate in this plan if the governing body of the city or town enters into a joinder agreement with the board to bring its detention officers into this plan. The joinder agreement shall be in accordance with the provisions of the plan. The governing body of the city or town shall designate all detention officers for membership in the plan unless written consent to the contrary is obtained from the board.

C. Full-time dispatchers may participate in this plan if the governing body or agency of the employer of an eligible group as defined in section 38-842 enters into a joinder agreement with the board to bring its full-time dispatchers into this plan before November 24, 2009 and if the person was employed by the employer as a full-time dispatcher before November 24, 2009. The joinder agreement shall be in accordance with the provisions of this plan and for those dispatchers designated for membership in the plan on the joinder date all credited service from any other Arizona defined benefit state retirement system or plan that represents credited service in a designated position shall be transferred to the corrections officer retirement plan. The governing body or agency of the employer shall designate all full-time dispatchers for membership in the plan except for a full-time dispatcher who signs an irrevocable agreement before the joinder agreement becomes effective electing not to become a member of the plan. A full-time dispatcher employed by an employer who becomes eligible for membership in the plan pursuant to this section may elect to participate in the plan within the deadlines and pursuant to the terms prescribed for such participation by the board.

D. Probation, surveillance and juvenile detention officers may participate in this plan if the administrative office of the courts enters into a joinder agreement with the board to bring its probation, surveillance and juvenile detention officers into this plan. The joinder agreement shall be in accordance with the provisions of this plan. The administrative office of the courts shall designate all probation, surveillance and juvenile detention officers for membership in this plan unless written consent to the contrary is obtained from the board.

E. Detention officers who are employed by the department of public safety may participate in this plan if the director of the department of public safety enters into a joinder agreement with the board to bring the department's detention officers into this plan. The joinder agreement shall be in accordance with the provisions of this plan. The director of the department of public safety shall designate all detention officers for membership in this plan unless written consent to the contrary is obtained from the board.

F. The new employer shall designate the groups of employees who are eligible to participate in the plan and shall agree to make contributions each year that are sufficient to meet both the normal cost of a level cost method attributable to inclusion of its employees and the prescribed interest on the past service cost for its employees.

G. Before the execution of any joinder agreement each employer contemplating participation in the plan shall have an actuarial valuation made, which is payable by the employer, to determine the estimated cost of participation in accordance with section 38-894.

H. Assets under any existing public employee defined benefit retirement program, except a military retirement program, that are necessary to equal the actuarial present value of projected benefits to the extent funded on a market value basis as of the most recent actuarial valuation attributable to the employer's designated employee group, calculated using the actuarial methods and assumptions adopted by the existing public employee retirement program, shall be transferred from the program to this fund no later than ninety days after the employer's effective date. That portion of the transferred assets that is attributable to employee contributions, including interest credits, shall be properly allocated to each affected employee of the employer and credited to the employee's initial accumulated contributions in accordance with a schedule furnished by the employer to the board.