The assets of the Fund shall consist of such assets and the income therefrom, including such contributions as shall from time to time be made to the State Board by each municipality, or property for which any of the same shall be exchanged or into which any of the same shall be converted, together with any other assets held from time to time hereunder by the State Board. All legal right, title and interest in and to the assets of the Fund shall at all times be held in trust and vested exclusively in the State Board or its nominee and no municipality shall be deemed to have severable ownership of any asset of the Fund or any right of partition or possession.

The State Board shall appraise and place valuation upon the assets of the Fund held by it as of the last business day of each month. Any assets not held by the State Board shall be appraised and valued by the Executive Director on said date.

The valuation of all assets of the Fund shall be both at cost and at the fair market value thereof, as determined by reference to the best available source or sources, in the opinion of the Executive Director and the State Board and both the Executive Director and State Board may rely on figures, or statements appearing in any reputable publication purporting to state sales prices, market quotations, values, bid and asking prices or any facts affecting values and upon the opinion of one or more persons familiar with the reasonable market value of any assets to be valued and shall incur no liability for error in any such valuation made in good faith. The reasonable and equitable decision of the Executive Director and State Board regarding the method used in determining values shall be conclusive and binding upon all persons, natural or legal, having interest, direct or indirect, in the Fund's assets.

Upon termination or partial termination of the System, or a permanent discontinuance of contributions, the benefits accrued up to the date of termination by the affected members and their beneficiaries, respectively, shall be nonforfeitable.

Added by Laws 1980, c. 356, § 38, eff. Jan. 1, 1981. Amended by Laws 1985, c. 221, § 12, emerg. eff. July 8, 1985; Laws 2000, c. 287, § 11, eff. July 1, 2000; Laws 2001, c. 183, § 6, emerg. eff. May 2, 2001.