Overview

​Scope and Content

The Dallas Employees' Retirement Fund (ERF) provides retirement, disability and death benefits to over 8,000 employees and over 4,000 retirees and their beneficiaries. The fund and the office were created by City of Dallas Ordinance numbers 3470 and 3577 in 1944.

The Dallas Police and Fire Pension System was created by the City of Dallas in 1916, and in 1933, was established under Article 6243a, Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes. The system is administered by a 12-member board of trustees, consisting of four city council members appointed by the Dallas City Council, and three active police officers, three active firefighters, one retired police officer, and one retired firefighter, all elected by the membership. The mayor chaired the Board of Trustees until 1976, and a councilmember trustee chaired the board until 1983. Since that time, the chair has been elected by the trustees from among the members of the board.

The System is a single employer-defined benefit plan under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States.  It provides retirement, survivor, and disability benefits to the uniformed public safety employees of the City of Dallas.

A board of seven trustees governs the fund. ERF active members elect three trustees; three are appointed by Dallas City Council, and the City Auditor serves by virtue of position.  Elections for the employee-elected trustees are held annually.  The elected trustees serve for two-year terms.  The Board of Trustees appoints the Executive Director of the Fund.

Collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, financial records, and reports documenting the establishment, growth, and development of the ERF.

[Addition]—A collection addition contains materials related to the collection but received after the initial materials were processed.  Additions can occur months or years after a collection is originally processed.

In 1968, patrolman Floyd Knight was slain by a gunman during a robbery and found with his paycheck in his pocket.  Without forethought, the city auditor's office requested the officer's widow return $22.72 of his paycheck because unearned work time remained within the reporting period.  The story made national news and the auditor's office received numerous letters of censure and condemnation from across the United States.  Friends of the slain officer collected the amount and repaid the city.

Collection consists of correspondence regarding the incident. The correspondence was transferred to the Police and Fire Pension System at an unspecified date.

Organization​

The collection is divided into the following series and then arranged chronologically:

• Annual reports
• Benefit information 
• Newsletters
•Police and Fire ephemera
• Report
• W. C. Watts papers 2, 1969-75
• ERF papers belonging to Mr Watts
• Willadene Caperton retirement party, 1994

Access

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from the Dallas Municipal Archives. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Citation

​The Dallas Employees' Retirement Fund and City of Dallas Fire and Police Pension Funds, 1952-1993 (Box <x>, Folder <y>), Dallas Municipal Archives

Related Materials

Collection 2003-006—Employee Retirement Fund

Index Terms

Dallas -- Texas -- History
Pensions -- Texas -- Dallas
Police -- Texas – Dallas

Container List [Original]