Presentation

City of Mesa — City Council (2026-06-01)

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Public Safety Personnel 
Retirement System 
(PSPRS)
Presented by:
Samuel Schultz
Office of Management and Budget – Assistant Director
Date: May 21, 2026

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PSPRS 
Supporting Arizona’s Public Safety Personnel
• Arizo na Revised Statute - section 38-841, established PSPRS in 1968 to  
provide a unified and equitabl e retirem e nt program for the state’s 
firefighte rs and police officers
• Arizo na Revised Statute - section 38-848, establ is h e d a nine-mem b e r Board 
of Trustee s, which is entruste d with the fiduciar y responsibi li ty to  ser ve its 
members and best protect the financia l health of PSPRS, CORP (Correctio ns 
Officer Retirement Plan), and EORP (Elected Officials ’ Retirement Plan) 
• P RSPS is made up of 3 tiers: 
• - Tier 1: Any sworn employee hired on or befo re June 30, 2012
• - Tier 2: Any sworn employee hired between July 1, 2012 to  June 30, 2017
• - Tier 3: Any sworn employee hired on or after July 1, 2017

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Pension Funding Policy
As per state requirement (ARS 38-863.01), beginning on or 
before each fiscal year, the governing body of an employer 
shall:
– Adopt a pension funding policy for the public safety personnel 
retirement system for employees who were hired before July 1, 2017 
– Formally accept the employer's share of the assets and liabilities 
under the system based on the system's actuarial valuation report

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Pension Policy Required Objectives: 
The pension funding policy includes 
funding objectives that address at least 
the following:
Maintain stability of contributions
Meet minimum funding requirements
Funding ratio target and timeline
PSPRS Supporting Arizona’s Public Safety Personnel

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City Funding Strategies
Stabilized Investment
Forecasted at approximately $107M-$109M in the future for annual 
contributions
- additional contributions for public safety benchmark
Pension Stabilization Fund
-$20M in FY 25/26
Increased Range Boundaries

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Current Status  
Tier 1 and 2 (Pension + Health)
Funded 
Status
Unfunded 
Liability
Liability
Assets
Plan
(As of June 30, 2024)
53.8%
$ 268
$ 582
$ 313
Fire and Medical
52.3%
$ 518
$ 1,086
$ 568
Police
$ 786
$ 1,668
$ 881
Total
Funded 
Status
Unfunded 
Liability
Liability
Assets
Plan
(As of June 30, 2025)
57.5%
$ 249
$ 585
$ 336
Fire and Medical
56.4%
$ 478
$ 1,095
$ 617
Police
$ 727
$ 1,680
$ 953
Total
Dollars in Millions

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Mesa’s Outlook
Continue to monitor market conditions and liability growth.
• Model includes forecasted investment losses
Account for state and federal impacts:
• PSPRS considering an experience study in FY 2026/27
• Reduction of wage growth to 0% 
• Already implemented in Mesa
• Reduction of the discount rate from 7.2% to 7% (2028-2031) 
for Tiers 1 and 2
Account for salary, overtime, and FTE growth 
Monitor Tier 3 population and salary growth

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Next Steps
Council to take action on adopting 
the PSPRS funding policy on:
June 1, 2026