(a) Any full-time employee of a public facilities board, rural waterworks facilities board, regional solid waste management board, joint county and municipal sanitation authority, regional water distribution board, public rehabilitation services corporation, or other local unit of government enrolled in the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System pursuant to this act who is a full-time employee of a participating public facilities board, regional solid waste management board, joint county and municipal sanitation authority, regional water distribution board, public rehabilitation services corporation, or other local unit of government in this state on the date his or her employer became, or becomes, a public employer in the system may apply for and receive current service credit for service rendered as a full-time employee of the public facilities board, regional solid waste management board, joint county and municipal sanitation authority, regional water distribution board, public rehabilitation services corporation, or other local unit of government.

(b) The employee shall receive credit only if the employee or employer pays or causes to be paid to the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System Fund all necessary employee contributions at the rate and on the compensation that would have been paid had he or she been a member during that time, all employer contributions based on the employer normal cost from the most recently completed regular annual actuarial valuation and the compensation that would have been paid had he or she been a member during that time, and regular interest on the employee and employer contributions computed from the date the service was rendered to the date the payment is received by the system.

(c) The employer's contributions and employees' contributions, if applicable, shall be transmitted to the system in the form and manner, together with the supporting data, as the Board of Trustees of the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System shall prescribe from time to time.

(d) The governing body of any public facilities board, rural waterworks facilities board, regional solid waste management board, joint county and municipal sanitation authority, regional water distribution board, public rehabilitation services corporation, or other local unit of government electing to include the full-time employees of the board within the membership of the system may pay the employer contributions and employee contributions, if applicable, on behalf of employees for services rendered.