Our Mission and Core Values

The Mission of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Employees’ Retirement System (“ERS”) is to prudently manage, protect, diversify, and administer the funds for the sole benefit of the members and beneficiaries to ensure sufficient assets are available to pay the promised benefits.

• Quality Customer Service
• Accountability and Transparency
• Professionalism and Respect
• Trustworthiness and Stewardship

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (“Commission”) Employees’ Retirement System covers employees of the Commission, a body corporate of the State of Maryland, established by the Maryland General Assembly in 1927. The Commission is the bi-county agency empowered to acquire, develop, and administer a regional system of parks in the defined Metropolitan District, and to prepare and administer a general plan for the physical development of a defined Regional District for Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. The Commission established a single employer defined benefit pension plan (“Plan”) effective July 1, 1972, in accordance with the Trust Agreement between the Commission and the ERS Board of Trustees.

Revisions to the Social Security tax structure and other fiscal considerations made it prudent to develop a new retirement plan, based on the principle of Social Security excess. Therefore, effective January 1, 1979, the Plan became The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Employees’ Retirement System, encompassing three (3) defined benefit plans: Plan A, the original plan; Plan B, for non-police, integrated with Social Security; and Plan C, only for Park Police. Collective bargaining in 1990, 1993, and 2002 resulted in the transfer of Plan C members to Plan D, the reopening of Plan C, and a one-time option for Plan D members to transfer to Plan C, respectively.

Fiscal challenges prompted the Commission to establish Plan E for non-police employees and appointed officials hired on or after January 1, 2013.

Today, the ERS consists of five defined benefit pension plans: Plan A, the original plan; Plan B, for non-police; Plans C and D, for park police; and, Plan E, for non-police and appointed officials hired on or after January 1, 2013.