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Amend Agreement with Macias Gini & <br />O'Connell LLP <br />March 17, 2015 <br />Page 2 <br />auditing issues facing governmental employers that participate in Agent Multiple - Employer <br />Defined Benefit Pension Plan as well as best practice solutions to address these items. MGO <br />actively participated in the SLGEP and was selected by CalPERS to assist in the implementation <br />of their GASB No. 68 audit services. <br />GASB Statement No. 67 and 68 Requirements <br />In June 2012, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) issued two new standards <br />that substantially changed the accounting and financial reporting of public employee pension <br />plans and the state and local governments that participate in such plans. GASB Statement No. <br />67, Financial Reporting for Pension Plans revises existing guidance for the financial reports for <br />most governmental pension plans. GASB Statement No. 68, Accounting and Financial Reporting <br />for Pensions revises and establishes new financial reporting requirements for most governments <br />that provide their employees with pension benefits. GASB Statement No. 67 is applicable to <br />CalPERS and effective for financial statements for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2013. <br />GASB Statement No. 68 is applicable to employers and effective for financial statements for <br />fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2014. <br />The City of Santa Ana contributes to the California Public Employees Retirement System <br />(CalPERS), an agent multiple - employer public employee defined benefit pension plan. <br />GASB Statement No. 68 requires employers to recognize a liability as employees earn their <br />pension benefits (that is, as they provide services to the government). To the extent that a long- <br />term obligation to provide pension benefits (that is, total pension liability) is larger than the value <br />of the assets available in the plan (that is, fiduciary net position) to pay pension benefits, <br />employers must report a net pension liability on the employer's accrual -based financial <br />statements for the first time. <br />Challenges of Employers in Agent Multiple - Employer Plans and the Auditors <br />An agent multiple - employer plan (agent plan) is one in which the assets of the employers are <br />pooled for investment purposes but separate accounts are maintained for each individual <br />employer. To comply with GASB Statement No. 68, agent plan employers will also need <br />information beyond what is provided in the plan's financial statements. GASB Statement No. 67 <br />does not require the plan administrator (CaIPERS) to report specific pension amounts, actuarial <br />information, and fiduciary net position for each individual employer. <br />The City (employer) does not have direct access to the underlying plan's records and data <br />supporting such amounts. Similarly, the City auditors face challenges in obtaining sufficient and <br />appropriate audit evidence regarding the specific pension amounts included in City's financial <br />statements. <br />25A -2 <br />