All of the City's health and dental benefits are provided through Midwest Public Risk (MPR). Gardner currently offers a choice between five medical plans. Three are MPR PPO plans administered by Benefit Management, Inc. and two are Humana HMO administered by Humana. Dental insurance coverage is provided by Delta Dental of Missouri. Benefits and premiums vary significantly between the plans.

Employees are eligible for coverage the first day of the month coinciding with or immediately following their employment date. If they waive coverage at this time, they will again be eligible for coverage only:

The Flexible Spending Plan includes the medical account which allows employees to make pre-tax deductions for qualified unreimbursed medical and dental costs and the dependent care account which allows employees to make pre-tax deductions for qualified dependent care costs. The City pay 100% of the administrative costs. Employees choose their payroll deduction up to a maximum of $5,000 per year for unreimbursed medical expenses and $5,000 per year for dependent care expenses.

The City's retirement benefits are provided through the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS).

KPERS is a mandatory retirement plan administered by the State of Kansas. All employees working in covered positions EXCEPT those employees working as commissioned Public Safety Officers, including individuals in all other full-time and regular part-time positions of the City who meet the KPERS membership requirements, are required to participate. Participation begins on the first day employment.

KPERS is a defined benefit pension plan. Monthly retirement benefit is based on final average salary and years of service. Vesting time for retirement is 5 years. Normal retirement age is 65. Employees contribute 6% of their gross salary and the City contributes a percentage that is legislated annually by the State of Kansas.

KP&F is a mandatory retirement plan administered by the State of Kansas. All employees working in positions as commissioned Public Safety Officer, including individuals in full-time and regular part-time positions of the City who meet the membership requirements, are required to participate. Participation begins on the first day of employment.

KP&F is a defined benefit pension plan. Monthly retirement benefit is based on final average salary and years of service. Vesting time for retirement is 15 years. Normal retirement age varies with age and years of service in the retirement system. Employees contribute 7% of their gross salary and the City contributes a percentage that is legislated annually by the State of Kansas.

 

The ICMA Retirement Corporation administers the City's 457 Deferred Compensation Plan. All full-time and regular part-time employees are eligible to participate. There is no waiting period. ICMA is a voluntary program that allows an employee to save money that is tax deferred for retirement. The amount is set aside from the employee’s paycheck and invested for him in the investment option(s) he chooses. There are no vesting requirements.

There is an administration fee. The employee chooses his payroll deduction amount not to exceed the maximum allowed by law per year. The City will make contributions for those employees working in KPERS covered positions, including individuals in all full-time and regular part-time positions except those covered under the KP&F system, who meet or will meet the membership requirements based on the following employee contributions: 

Disability benefits are provided through KPERS. An employee must be member of the KPERS or KP&F Retirement Program to be eligible. The cost is included in the employer’s contribution mentioned under the KPERS Retirement Plan benefit.

The City offers an employee assistance program through New Directions Employee Assistance Program that is contracted through the Midwest Public Risk (MPR). The City pays 100% of the costs.

The City provides fifteen thousand ($15,000) of group term life and accidental death insurance. Optional spouse/dependent child coverage is available. All full-time and regular part-time employees are eligible to participate. The waiting period ends on the first day of the month coinciding with or following the date of employment. The City pays 100% of the premium for the employee. Optional coverage for spouse and/or dependent child(ren) is funded 100% by employee.

Additional life insurance benefits are provided through the KPERS retirement program. Benefits available under each program are legislated by the State of Kansas. An employee must be eligible for the KPERS Retirement Program to participate. Participation begins on the first day of employment for KPERS & KPF members. The cost is included in the employer’s contribution mentioned under the KPERS Retirement Plan benefit.

Optional group life insurance, up to a maximum benefit of $250,000 is available for KPERS/KPF members through Minnesota Life. Premiums are age-based and dependent on coverage level.

All full-time employees are eligible for educational reimbursement after completing one year of service. The City reimburses 100% of tuition to a maximum of one-hundred dollars ($100) per undergraduate credit hour and one-hundred fifty dollars ($150) per graduate credit hour and related book fees for job-related and pre-approved college credit hours with an annual maximum reimbursement of one-thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) per year and a life-time maximum reimbursement of six thousand dollars ($6,000), provided the course is satisfactorily completed with a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher. Tuition reimbursement is dependent on budgetary resources and there is no guarantee that funds will be available. Employees who voluntarily leave the employment of the City of Gardner within one year of the completion of the last course for which Educational Expense Reimbursement was paid shall be liable for all costs of fees and books that have already been reimbursed by the City for that year.

Employees are eligible for membership in the Mainstreet Credit Union (formerly Credit Union of Johnson County). Each employee who requests deductions be made from his salary to be deposited with the Mainstreet Credit Union must request so in writing. The City has no responsibility for liability for the deposits once they are made with the Credit Union.

Employees are eligible for membership in a group employee’s accident, life and disability insurance plan with Colonial Life and Accident Insurance Company. The City will, upon written request of the employee, make deductions from the salary of that employee for group accident insurance with Colonial Life and Accident Insurance Company.

Employees are eligible to participate in the city's direct deposit program.  The direct deposit program enables the deposit of all or a portion of an employee's net pay to be made in the employee's choice of financial institution(s).  Employees may split the amount of their direct deposit into a maximum of five (5) accounts.  The deposit is accomplished through an electronic funds transfer and is available in the employee's designated account(s) on the morning of the normal payday.