Phoenix, Arizona, Proposition 201, Employee Retirement System Charter Amendment (March 2013)

Phoenix Proposition 201
Election date March 12, 2013
Topic Local pensions
Status Approved
Type Referral

Phoenix Proposition 201 was on the ballot as a referral in Phoenix on March 12, 2013. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported amending the City of Phoenix Employee Retirement System (COPERS) plan, by: Requiring plan members to contribute half of the funds for his or her retirement; Establishing that retirement eligibility would occur when the sum of the employee's age and years of service equals 87 instead of 80; Leaving intact the previous retirement eligibility rules of 60 years of age with 10 years of service and 62 years of age with 5 years of service; Establishing certain multiplier benefits to increase over time, rather than decrease.

A "no" vote opposed amending the City of Phoenix Employee Retirement System (COPERS) plan.

A simple majority was required to approve the measure.

Election results

Phoenix Proposition 201
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		81,893	79.33%
No		21,333	20.67%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Proposition 201 was as follows:

“

Shall Part I, Chapter XXIV, Artile II, Sections 14.1, 17.3, 19.1, 19.7, 27.1(b), 28.1(b) and 28.1(c) of the Charter of the City of Phoenix be amended, and shall new Sections 2.22 and 2.23 be added to this Article, to reform the City of Phoenix Employees' Retirement Plan by creating new terms of participation for employees of the City of Phoenix hired on or after July 1, 2013 who are members of the Retirement Plan as described above?

”

Summary statement

English:

“

This proposition, if adopted, would amend the City Charter to put in place new terms of participation in the City of Phoenix Employees' Retirement Plan for employees hired by the City of Phoenix on or after July 1, 2013. More specifically, for these new employees only: (1) the member's contribution rate to the Retirement Plan for each year will be 50 percent; (2) the current Rule of 80 retirement option would be replaced with a Rule of 87 retirement option; (3) the pension multiplier factor applied to various years of service in the calculation of the member's retirement benefits would would be changed from a multiplier that decreases over time to a muliplier that increases over time; (4) the member would not be eligible to receive a month of service credit for any month in which the member had less than 20 days of service; and (5) any minimum pension obligation is eliminated. Additionally, this proposition, if adopted, would allow new employees of the City of Phoenix who prior to July 1, 2011 were allowed to participate in Arizona State Retirement System, and still have contributions and service on record with that System, to participate in the Retirement Plan on the terms that existed prior to these changes.

”

En Espanol:

“

Esta proposición, en caso de adoptarse, enmendaría la Constitución de la Municipalidad para establecer términos nuevos de participación en el Plan para el Retiro de los Empleados de la Municipalidad de Phoenix para aquellos empleados contratados por la Municipalidad de Phoenix a partir del 1.º de julio de 2013. En específico, sólo para estos empleados nuevos: (1) la tasa de contribución del miembro al Plan para el Retiro para cada año será del 50% de la tasa de contribución anual calculada por los actuarios del Plan para el Retiro, y la Municipalidad pagará el otro 50%; (2) la opción de retiro actual correspondiente a la Regla de 80 se reemplazaría con una opción de retiro correspondiente a la Regla de 87 (esto significa que, al sumarse, la edad del miembro y sus años de servicio deben ser iguales o superiores a 87 para que el miembro pueda retirarse de acuerdo con esta opción); (3) el factor multiplicador aplicado a los años de servicio del miembro para el cálculo de sus beneficios de retiro se modificaría de un multiplicador que disminuye con el transcurso del tiempo a un multiplicador que aumenta con el transcurso del tiempo; (4) el miembro no sería elegible para recibir un mes de crédito de servicio por ningún mes en el que tenga menos de 20 días de servicio; y (5) se elimina cualquier obligación de pensión mínima. Además, esta proposición, en caso de adoptarse, permitiría a los empleados nuevos de la Municipalidad de Phoenix, que estaban autorizados a participar en el Sistema para el Retiro del Estado de Arizona antes del 1.º de julio de 2011, y que aún mantienen contribuciones y servicio registrado en dicho sistema, participar en el Plan para el Retiro de acuerdo con los términos que existían con anterioridad a estos cambios.

”

Background

The Phoenix city retirement plan cost taxpayers $28 million in 2000 and was estimated to cost $110 million in the 2012 fiscal year. In January 2011, the Phoenix City Council formed a task force, the Pension Reform Task Force, to propose changes to address rising pension costs. The task force held 13 public meetings and several public input sessions. On February 14, 2012, the final recommendations were presented to the city council. The Pension Reform Task Force made these recommendations:

• Continue the city's defined benefit program;
• Institute a 50/50 contribution split between the employees and the city; and
• Increase the retirement age.

In May 2012, the Superior Court of Maricopa County ruled that municipalities in the county, including the city of Phoenix, were not permitted to change the pension plan of any existing employee or retiree. This meant that any changes to the city's pension plans could apply only to newly hired employees. Following the court's ruling, the Phoenix City Council developed three models for changing the city retirement plan, each of which only applied to new hires. The first model mainly adhered to the changes recommended by the Pension Reform Task Force. This model was selected by the council and placed on the ballot as Propositions 201 and 202. The second model put forward for deliberation by the council was the same as the first model except that it added caps on the city's contribution at 10 percent, 7 percent, or 5 percent. The addition of a contribution cap was voted down in a 6-3 vote. Model three proposed a mandatory 401 system with matching 10 percent, 7 percent, or 5 percent contributions from the city.

Path to the ballot

The proposition was referred to the ballot on October 31, 2012, through a unanimous (9-0) vote of the Phoenix City Council.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Arizona

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Arizona.

How to vote in Arizona

Poll times

In Arizona, all polling places are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Arizona, one must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of an Arizona county. A voter must be 18 years or older on or before Election Day. Arizona also requires voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship to vote for state and local elections

To be eligible to vote in an election one must register at least 29 days prior to the election. Individuals can register online, in person at the county recorder's office, or by mail.

Automatic registration

Arizona does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Arizona has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Arizona does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Arizona law requires 29 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Arizona requires voters to submit proof of citizenship with their voter registration application to vote in state and local elections. According to the Arizona Secretary of State's website: "A registrant who attests to being a citizen but fails to provide proof of citizenship and whose citizenship is not otherwise verified will be eligible to vote only in federal elections (known as being a 'federal only' voter)." Accepted proof of citizenship include:

• An Arizona Driver's License/Identification Number
• Indian Census Number, Bureau of Indian Affairs Card Number, Tribal Treaty Card Number, or Tribal Enrollment Number
• A photocopy of U.S. naturalization documents
• A photocopy of a birth certificate and supporting legal documentation (i.e., marriage certificate) if the name on the birth certificate is not the same as your current legal name.
• A photocopy of a U.S. passport.
• A photocopy of a Tribal Certificate of Indian Blood or Bureau of Indian Affairs Affidavit of Birth.

On August 22, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an emergency order partially granting the Republican National Committee and Arizona Republicans' request to enforce a 2022 law related to proof of citizenship requirements. The court allowed the enforcement of the provision requiring the state to reject state voter registration forms submitted without proof of citizenship. Previously, a person who submitted a state voter registration form without proof of citizenship could still be a federal only voter. After the court's ruling, a person unable to provide proof of citizenship would need to submit a federal voter registration form in order to vote in federal elections. Read more about legal challenges to this law here.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Arizona Voter Information Portal, run by the Arizona Secretary of State's office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Arizona requires voters to present photo identification or two forms of non-photo identification while voting.

The following were accepted forms of identification as of July 2024: Click here for the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

Voters can present one of the following forms of ID that contain the voter’s photograph, name, and address:

• Arizona driver’s license
• U.S. federal, state, or local government-issued ID, issued with printed name and address
• Arizona ID card
• Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal ID

If a voter does not have one of the above forms of ID, the voter can present two of the following forms of ID that contain the voter’s name and address:

• Utility bill in the voter's name
• Bank or credit union statement that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election
• Valid Arizona vehicle registration
• Arizona vehicle insurance card
• Indian census card
• Property tax statement
• Recorder's certificate or voter registration card
• Tribal enrollment card or other tribal ID
• Valid U.S. federal, state, or local government-issued ID with a printed name and address or
• Any mailing in the voter's name that is labeled "official election material"  

Additionally, if a voter presents photo ID that does not list an address within the precinct in which he or she wants to cast a vote, that person may present the photo ID with one non-photo identification material from the second list above. The identification material should include the voter’s address.

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2013
• Local pensions on the ballot

Arizona

• Arizona 2013 local measures
• Local ballot measures, Arizona
• Phoenix, Arizona

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas