Title
Consideration of and action on an amendment to the contract between the City of Deer Park and the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System (TESRS) authorizing a “13th Check” for FY2025-2026.
Body
Summary:
The City of Deer Park participates in the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System for volunteer firefighters and volunteer paramedics (first responders). The retirement system is a defined benefit system in which the pension benefit is calculated based on a monthly contribution that is made by the City of Deer Park during the volunteers’ active years of service.
TESRS’s defined benefit system does not have any form of cost-of-living adjustment/allowance or other increase for volunteers after retirement. The existing contract does allow for the issuance of a “13th Check” to retirees from the Deer Park Volunteer Fire Department. The “13th Check” is the mechanism to give the retirees an increase in the form of (1) extra payment per year.
If approved, this would be the seventh year that a “13th Check” was issued to retired volunteers that have served our community.
This is one-time payment for FY2025-2026 and subsequent years will require City Council’s approval to amend the contract with TESRS to authorize the issuance of a “13th Check” in the future.
As of 11/17/2025, TESRS has amended the “13th Check” procedure by requesting each entity to complete Form 200E (attached) which identifies the intent of the entity to authorize the “13th Check” to be issued to the retired volunteers. Once the Governing Entity has approved the issuance of the “13th Check” the contract amendment will be submitted for signatures.
Fiscal/Budgetary Impact:
FY2025-2026 adopted budget includes the issuance of the “13th Check” to TESRS recipients; estimated not to exceed $26,000.
Recommended action
Amend the contract to allow for a “13th Check” to be issued to retired first responders for FY2025-2026.