Pension Costs
The City pension charge is a required expenditure for any government that has a defined benefit pension
plan for its employees. The defined benefit pension plan at the City of Ann Arbor has both the employee
and employer pay a portion of the costs. The amount of the employer’s share is determined annually by
an actuarial valuation. The employee’s share is set by City ordinance. In January of 2017, a hybrid
pension plan took effect for non-Police and Fire employees. For budget purposes, the City uses a
percentage from the actuary report and applies it to wages to determine each service unit’s share of the
total Actuarially Determined Contribution (ADC). The entire ADC is what the City is required to fund each
year and remit to the Pension Trust fund.
The City's Retirement System was fully funded through 2008. Subsequent fiscal years reflect the effect of
the market downturn on the City’s pension obligations. Due to recent positive market conditions, the
pension system is 100% funded. In fiscal year 2015, the City adopted the provisions of GASB 68 switching
from actuarially values to total net pension liability.
