PERS board certifies $15,433 in delinquent contributions from Town of Chula
The Mississippi Public Employees' Retirement System board voted Aug. 27 to certify additional delinquent contributions from the town of Chula, including money withheld from employees' paychecks but never turned over to the pension system.
At the Claims Committee meeting, a PERS staff member identified only as Mason presented the report, telling the board the unpaid amount totals "right at $15,433.82." Mason said the sum includes contributions "taken directly from those employees' checks from the town," which were never remitted to PERS. The staff member said the only action needed from the board was to certify the additional delinquency, and trustees voted to do so.
Board members raised questions during the discussion about whether withholding employee paycheck funds without remitting them could amount to criminal conduct and whether the matter had been referred to the State Auditor. PERS has previously said that similar situations may warrant referral to that office.
Municipal delinquencies such as this one add to strain on PERS, which already faces a significant funding shortfall, and raise accountability questions about how withheld employee contributions are tracked and enforced across the state's local governments.