(a) Any municipality or subdivision thereof may, by ordinance, or with respect to a municipality not having the authority to make ordinances, by resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote of the members of its legislative body, establish pension, retirement, or other postemployment health and life benefit systems for its officers and employees and their beneficiaries, or amend any special act concerning its pension, retirement, or other postemployment health and life benefit systems, toward the maintenance in sound condition of a pension, retirement, or other postemployment health and life benefit fund or funds, provided the rights or benefits granted to any individual under any municipal pension or retirement system shall not be diminished or eliminated. The legislative body of any such municipality, by resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote of its members, may provide for pensions to persons, including survivors' benefits for widows of such persons, not included in such pension or retirement system.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of the general statutes or of any special act, charter, special act charter, home-rule ordinance, local ordinance or other local law, any municipality or subdivision thereof may, by ordinance and amendment thereto, or with respect to a municipality not having the authority to make ordinances, by resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote of the members of its legislative body, (1) establish one or more trusts, or determine to participate in a multiemployer trust, to hold and invest the assets of such pension, retirement or other postemployment health and life benefit system; (2) provide for the management and investment of such system and any such trust, including the establishment of a board or commission or the designation of an existing board or commission for such purposes; or (3) provide for the organization of and the manner of election or appointment of the members of such board or commission. Notwithstanding any limitations on the investment of municipal funds set forth in section 7-400, funds held in any such trust may be invested in accordance with the terms of the pension, retirement or other postemployment health and life benefit plan, as such terms may be amended from time to time. The investment and management of the assets of any such trust shall be in compliance with the prudent investor rule as set forth in sections 45a-541 to 45a-541l, inclusive.

(c) The provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall not operate to invalidate the establishment by any municipality or subdivision thereof, pursuant to the provisions of any public or special act, charter, special act charter, home-rule ordinance, local ordinance or local law, of any postemployment health and life benefit system duly established prior to October 1, 2005, or of any trust duly established or board or commission duly established or designated prior to July 1, 2006, with respect to a pension, retirement or other postemployment health and life benefit system.

(1949 Rev., S. 903; 1957, P.A. 13, S. 48; February, 1965, P.A. 338, S. 1; 1967, P.A. 568; 642, S. 1; P.A. 05-202, S. 2; P.A. 06-79, S. 6.)

History: 1965 act included provisions for survivors' benefits for widows of officials and employees; 1967 acts deleted phrase concerning specific appropriations for pensions to persons not included in retirement system or their widows and protected rights and benefits under system from diminishment or elimination as a result of any amendments to the system; P.A. 05-202 divided section into Subsecs. (a) and (b) and added provisions re postemployment health and life benefit systems; P.A. 06-79 amended Subsec. (a) to add provisions re establishment of pension and retirement systems by municipalities without authority to make ordinances and re adoption of resolution to provide pensions to persons not included in system, amended Subsec. (b) to replace former provisions re pension and retirement systems established before October 1, 2005, with new provisions re authority of municipalities to establish pension and retirement systems and added new Subsec. (c), effective July 1, 2006.

See Sec. 7-192 re validity of municipal charters, special acts and home rule ordinances in effect on October 1, 1982, and authorization to revise charters and home rule ordinances.

See Sec. 7-459a re survivors' benefits.

Cited. 238 C. 809.

Cited. 2 CA 43.