TMRS has received the Public Pension Coordinating Council’s (PPCC) Public Pension Standards Award for 2023. The PPCC established the Public Pension Standards to reflect minimum expectations for public retirement system management, administration, and funding. The Standards serve as a benchmark to measure public defined benefit plans. This is the 18th consecutive year TMRS has received the Award.
On November 1, Wolfe City became the 933rd city to join TMRS.
Wolfe City is located 70 miles northeast of Dallas, 50 miles south of the Oklahoma border. The area was first settled in the late 19th century and incorporated in 1887.
TMRS’ 2023 Annual City Training Conference was held on October 24.
During the conference, employees learned about all of the available tools to help administer your city's TMRS plan. Sessions explained TMRS basics, how to answer employee questions about retiring, the new COLA option available to cities, and how to use your TMRS plan to recruit employees.
You can view all of this year's presentations here.
To celebrate TMRS’ 75th anniversary, we have been showcasing our first eight member cities throughout the year. This month, we’re highlighting the City of Texarkana.
Texarkana has always been a transportation hub. Before the first European settlers arrived, Native Americans passed through Texarkana via the Great Southwest Trail. For centuries, this trail was the main route for Native Americans traveling west from the Mississippi. The Cairo and Fulton railroads were established in the 1850s, followed by the Texas and Pacific Railroad. Nowadays, the city sits at the crux of highways 59, 67, 71 and 82. Since the very beginning of its history, Texarkana has had a special role in the growth of Texas.
On October 1, Lowry Crossing became the 932th city to join TMRS.
Lowry Crossing is located 40 miles north of Dallas. The city is named after the Lowry family, who settled near the Trinity River during the 1850s. In recent years, the city has experienced tremendous growth. Since the 1980s, Lowry Crossing’s population has more than tripled. We are excited to welcome this flourishing community into TMRS.
TMRS Executive Director David Wescoe announced at the September 28 Board of Trustees meeting that Anali Alanis, the former City Manager of the City of Pharr, and the current Vice Chair of the TMRS Board of Trustees, will join TMRS’ senior leadership team in October as Chief Quality Officer. When Ms. Alanis joins TMRS’ staff, she will relinquish her role as a Trustee.
Mr. Wescoe said, “Anali is a real talent, and I am thrilled she is joining the TMRS team. And the timing is perfect, as we are just beginning a multi-year quality initiative with the goal of applying for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. Anali has two decades of city leadership experience and is a Director of the Quality Texas Foundation. She recently spearheaded Pharr’s efforts in earning the Governor’s Texas Award for Performance Excellence. Pharr is only the third city in Texas to receive this award that recognizes exceptional performance in all areas of organizational management: leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce focus, operations focus, and results.”
Ms. Alanis commented that, “Joining TMRS is the perfect next chapter in my career. My municipal management experience and my tenure as a TMRS Trustee have prepared me well for this challenging new role. I look forward to continuing my public service for one of the nation’s most respected public pension plans.”
Ms. Alanis received a B.A. in Applied Technology Management from South Texas College and a Master of Public Administration degree from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. In June, she graduated from the Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program.
A new Applying for Retirement Checklist is available on the TMRS Fact Sheet page. This Fact Sheet details everything Members need to know about applying for retirement. Cities should feel free to share this information with any employee who is thinking about retiring.
To celebrate TMRS’ 75th anniversary, we have been showcasing our first eight member cities throughout the year. This month, we’re highlighting the City of Somerville.
Somerville’s early development was due to the expansion of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway Company. The city itself was named after one of the company’s first presidents. During the early 20th century, Somerville was an industrial hub for the area and a popular stop for travelers. These days, Somerville is most known for being the home of Lake Somerville, which covers more than 17 square miles.
On September 1, the cities of Coldspring, Petrolia and Little River-Academy joined TMRS.
Coldspring is located sixty miles north of Houston in San Jacinto county. It sits alongside the Sam Houston National Forest, near Lake Livingston. Petrolia is part of the greater Wichita Falls metropolitan area and named after the oil fields discovered there. Finally, Little River Academy is a few miles south of Temple. The original community was one of the first in Bell County, founded near Fort Griffin in the early 1800s.
The TMRS Member Service Center is available Monday through Thursday 8am - 5pm and Friday 9am - 5pm to answer your account questions, help you retire, or assist you with MyTMRS.
Speak to our knowledgeable team within 10 seconds by calling 800-924-8677.
GASB 75 Reporting Packages that include information for cities providing TMRS' Supplemental Death Benefit coverage for retirees are available for download here.
To celebrate TMRS’ 75th anniversary, we will be showcasing our first eight member cities throughout the year. This month, we’re highlighting the town of Mart, located east of Waco.
In the early 1900s, it was one of the first communities in the area to introduce such luxuries as sidewalks, telephone lines and electricity. It is the hometown of E. Donnall Thomas, who won the 1990 Nobel Prize in Physiology of Medicine for his work on bone marrow transplants. Academy Award Nominee Jesse Plemons was also raised in Mart.
GASB 68 Reporting Packages that contain participating city pension disclosure information are now available for download here.
TMRS’ 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) has been published and is now available under the "Finance" tab. The ACFR includes TMRS’ audited financial statements, a summary of 2022 investment activity, and actuarial and statistical information about the System.
To celebrate TMRS’ 75th anniversary, we will be showcasing our first eight member cities throughout the year. This month, we’re highlighting Lampasas.
Lampasas is located in central Texas, 70 miles northwest of Austin. Comanches, Tonkawas, Apaches, and European settlers were all drawn to the area due to its natural mineral springs, which produce more than 3,000,000 gallons of water per day. When the railroad arrived in the 1880s, Lampasas prospered as spas and resorts emerged due to the famed spring water. In the 1900s Sulphur water was found in a well during an oil drill. Today, the Hancock Springs Bathhouse and Abney Plunge Well are still open to the public.
City contribution rate letters that contain detailed information on each TMRS participating city's 2024 contribution rate are now available to download here.
Effective May 27, 2023, the Texas Legislature amended the TMRS Act to provide participating cities with a new repeating COLA option. Read more about the new option under For Cities / Information.
At its May 25 meeting, the Board of Trustees accepted TMRS' 2022 Actuarial Valuation Report and certified the contribution rates for participating cities for the year beginning January 1, 2024. While each participating city has its own funded ratio, TMRS’ funded ratio as a whole as of December 31, 2022 is 89.7%.
TMRS has received the Public Pension Coordinating Council’s (PPCC) Public Pension Standards Award for 2023. The PPCC established the Public Pension Standards to reflect minimum expectations for public retirement system management, administration, and funding. The Standards serve as a benchmark to measure public defined benefit plans. This is the 18th consecutive year TMRS has received the Award.
On November 1, Wolfe City became the 933rd city to join TMRS.
Wolfe City is located 70 miles northeast of Dallas, 50 miles south of the Oklahoma border. The area was first settled in the late 19th century and incorporated in 1887.
TMRS’ 2023 Annual City Training Conference was held on October 24.
During the conference, employees learned about all of the available tools to help administer your city's TMRS plan. Sessions explained TMRS basics, how to answer employee questions about retiring, the new COLA option available to cities, and how to use your TMRS plan to recruit employees.
You can view all of this year's presentations here.
To celebrate TMRS’ 75th anniversary, we have been showcasing our first eight member cities throughout the year. This month, we’re highlighting the City of Texarkana.
Texarkana has always been a transportation hub. Before the first European settlers arrived, Native Americans passed through Texarkana via the Great Southwest Trail. For centuries, this trail was the main route for Native Americans traveling west from the Mississippi. The Cairo and Fulton railroads were established in the 1850s, followed by the Texas and Pacific Railroad. Nowadays, the city sits at the crux of highways 59, 67, 71 and 82. Since the very beginning of its history, Texarkana has had a special role in the growth of Texas.
On October 1, Lowry Crossing became the 932th city to join TMRS.
Lowry Crossing is located 40 miles north of Dallas. The city is named after the Lowry family, who settled near the Trinity River during the 1850s. In recent years, the city has experienced tremendous growth. Since the 1980s, Lowry Crossing’s population has more than tripled. We are excited to welcome this flourishing community into TMRS.
TMRS Executive Director David Wescoe announced at the September 28 Board of Trustees meeting that Anali Alanis, the former City Manager of the City of Pharr, and the current Vice Chair of the TMRS Board of Trustees, will join TMRS’ senior leadership team in October as Chief Quality Officer. When Ms. Alanis joins TMRS’ staff, she will relinquish her role as a Trustee.
Mr. Wescoe said, “Anali is a real talent, and I am thrilled she is joining the TMRS team. And the timing is perfect, as we are just beginning a multi-year quality initiative with the goal of applying for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. Anali has two decades of city leadership experience and is a Director of the Quality Texas Foundation. She recently spearheaded Pharr’s efforts in earning the Governor’s Texas Award for Performance Excellence. Pharr is only the third city in Texas to receive this award that recognizes exceptional performance in all areas of organizational management: leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce focus, operations focus, and results.”
Ms. Alanis commented that, “Joining TMRS is the perfect next chapter in my career. My municipal management experience and my tenure as a TMRS Trustee have prepared me well for this challenging new role. I look forward to continuing my public service for one of the nation’s most respected public pension plans.”
Ms. Alanis received a B.A. in Applied Technology Management from South Texas College and a Master of Public Administration degree from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. In June, she graduated from the Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program.
A new Applying for Retirement Checklist is available on the TMRS Fact Sheet page. This Fact Sheet details everything Members need to know about applying for retirement. Cities should feel free to share this information with any employee who is thinking about retiring.
To celebrate TMRS’ 75th anniversary, we have been showcasing our first eight member cities throughout the year. This month, we’re highlighting the City of Somerville.
Somerville’s early development was due to the expansion of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway Company. The city itself was named after one of the company’s first presidents. During the early 20th century, Somerville was an industrial hub for the area and a popular stop for travelers. These days, Somerville is most known for being the home of Lake Somerville, which covers more than 17 square miles.
On September 1, the cities of Coldspring, Petrolia and Little River-Academy joined TMRS.
Coldspring is located sixty miles north of Houston in San Jacinto county. It sits alongside the Sam Houston National Forest, near Lake Livingston. Petrolia is part of the greater Wichita Falls metropolitan area and named after the oil fields discovered there. Finally, Little River Academy is a few miles south of Temple. The original community was one of the first in Bell County, founded near Fort Griffin in the early 1800s.
The TMRS Member Service Center is available Monday through Thursday 8am - 5pm and Friday 9am - 5pm to answer your account questions, help you retire, or assist you with MyTMRS.
Speak to our knowledgeable team within 10 seconds by calling 800-924-8677.
GASB 75 Reporting Packages that include information for cities providing TMRS' Supplemental Death Benefit coverage for retirees are available for download here.
To celebrate TMRS’ 75th anniversary, we will be showcasing our first eight member cities throughout the year. This month, we’re highlighting the town of Mart, located east of Waco.
In the early 1900s, it was one of the first communities in the area to introduce such luxuries as sidewalks, telephone lines and electricity. It is the hometown of E. Donnall Thomas, who won the 1990 Nobel Prize in Physiology of Medicine for his work on bone marrow transplants. Academy Award Nominee Jesse Plemons was also raised in Mart.
GASB 68 Reporting Packages that contain participating city pension disclosure information are now available for download here.
TMRS’ 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) has been published and is now available under the "Finance" tab. The ACFR includes TMRS’ audited financial statements, a summary of 2022 investment activity, and actuarial and statistical information about the System.
To celebrate TMRS’ 75th anniversary, we will be showcasing our first eight member cities throughout the year. This month, we’re highlighting Lampasas.
Lampasas is located in central Texas, 70 miles northwest of Austin. Comanches, Tonkawas, Apaches, and European settlers were all drawn to the area due to its natural mineral springs, which produce more than 3,000,000 gallons of water per day. When the railroad arrived in the 1880s, Lampasas prospered as spas and resorts emerged due to the famed spring water. In the 1900s Sulphur water was found in a well during an oil drill. Today, the Hancock Springs Bathhouse and Abney Plunge Well are still open to the public.
City contribution rate letters that contain detailed information on each TMRS participating city's 2024 contribution rate are now available to download here.
Effective May 27, 2023, the Texas Legislature amended the TMRS Act to provide participating cities with a new repeating COLA option. Read more about the new option under For Cities / Information.
At its May 25 meeting, the Board of Trustees accepted TMRS' 2022 Actuarial Valuation Report and certified the contribution rates for participating cities for the year beginning January 1, 2024. While each participating city has its own funded ratio, TMRS’ funded ratio as a whole as of December 31, 2022 is 89.7%.
