Police Pension Fund Board of Trustees
An independent board serving those who serve.
When a police officer pins on a Winthrop Harbor badge, this community makes a commitment in return: that a career spent protecting our neighbors will be honored with a secure retirement, and that the funds set aside for that purpose will be managed carefully, transparently, and at arm's length from Village politics.
Illinois law is deliberate on this point. A police pension fund is not a Village program, a Village department, or an advisory board to the Village Board of Trustees. It is a separate legal entity, created under state law and governed by its own independent Board of Trustees, whose members answer to the participants and beneficiaries of the Fund and to the State of Illinois - not to Village Hall.
That independence exists to protect officers, retirees, and taxpayers alike. It ensures that pension assets are managed for the exclusive benefit of the Fund's members and cannot be redirected to other municipal purposes.
An Independent Body
The Winthrop Harbor Police Pension Fund is established under Article 3 of the Illinois Pension Code. Its Board of Trustees:
- Operates independently of the Village President, the Board of Trustees, and Village administration
- Holds its own meetings, keeps its own records, and adopts its own rules of procedure
- Retains its own legal counsel, investment professionals, and actuarial advisors
- Is subject to state oversight and reporting requirements under the Illinois Pension Code, and to the Illinois Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information Act in its own right
The Village of Winthrop Harbor does not direct the Board's decisions, administer the Fund, or determine individual benefit awards.
What the Board Does
As fiduciaries, the trustees are legally bound to act solely in the interest of the Fund's participants and beneficiaries. The Board:
- Manages and invests the assets of the Pension Fund
- Rules on applications for retirement, disability and survivor benefits
- Authorizes the payment of benefits to which members and beneficiaries are entitled
- Carries out the reporting, recordkeeping and fiduciary duties set out in the Illinois Pension Code
The Village's Limited Role
The Village's involvement is narrow and defined by statute. The Village levies and remits its required annual employer contribution to the Fund, and the Village Treasurer performs specific statutory duties in connection with deposits and salary deductions from participating officers. Beyond those obligations, the Fund is administered by its own Board.
Membership
The composition of the Board of Trustees is fixed by the Illinois Pension Code, not by Village ordinance. It includes trustees appointed by the Village President together with trustees elected by active police officers participating in the Fund and by retirees and beneficiaries of the Fund. Trustees serve under fiduciary standards established by state law and must complete pension trustee training required by the State.
Contact and Public Information
Because the Pension Fund Board is a separate body, questions regarding benefits, Fund investments, or Board meetings should be directed to the Pension Board rather than to Village administration. Meeting notices and agendas are posted as required by the Open Meetings Act.
State Resources and Further Information
Because the Police Pension Fund Board is an independent body governed by state law, the most authoritative information comes from the State of Illinois rather than from the Village. The following resources are available to officers, retirees, trustees and residents:
Illinois Department of Insurance - Public Pension Division
The State division that regulates and oversees Illinois police pension funds. It provides compliance guidance, annual statement and actuarial reporting requirements, trustee resources, forms, FAQs, and published examination reports and orders.
Visit IDOIIDOI Public Pension Portal
The Department's online portal for pension fund filings, fund data, published reports and a benefit estimator.
Visit PortalIllinois Police Officers' Pension Investment Fund (IPOPIF)
The statewide fund that consolidates and invests the assets of Illinois downstate and suburban police pension funds, including Winthrop Harbor's. Publishes investment policies, monthly financial and investment reports, governing documents and trustee resources.
Visit IPOPIFIllinois Pension Code (40 ILCS 5), Article 3
The full text of the statute governing police pension funds.
View StatuteQuestions regarding individual benefits, Fund investments or Board meetings should be directed to the Police Pension Fund Board of Trustees. The Village of Winthrop Harbor does not administer the Fund.
Municipal Code Reference
Village of Winthrop Harbor Code of Ordinances, Chapter 34, §§ 34.40 – 34.45