TLFFRA
Texas Local Fire Fighters Retirement Act (TLFFRA) Field Guide

Governance & Statutory Framework

The Texas Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems (TEXPERS), the Pension Review Board (PRB), and the rules that govern every TLFFRA plan.

Systems42 TLFFRA Plans
Total Assets$2.96 Billion
Reporting YearFY2024 Pension Review Board (PRB)
TLFFRA Field Guide›Governance

Common Governance Framework

What Every TLFFRA Plan Has in Common

Statutory Authority

Created and governed by the Texas Local Fire Fighters Retirement Act (Texas Civil Statutes, Article 6243e), with fiduciary standards drawn from Texas Government Code Chapter 802. The Act provides general guidelines and a few investment restrictions, but leaves administration, plan design, contributions, and specific investments to each system's local board.

Board Composition

Each system has a seven-member board of trustees typically comprising three elected firefighters, two citizen members elected by the membership, the mayor or appointee, and the city's chief financial officer or designee. The board sets investment policy, approves benefit changes, and appoints service providers.

Local Funding

TLFFRA systems are entirely locally funded. Member contributions are usually a fixed percentage of pay; city contributions are set by ordinance, by collective bargaining, or by an actuarial determination. The state does not contribute to or guarantee benefits.

PRB Reporting

The annual financial report, membership report, and investment returns and assumptions report (PRB-1000) are due within 211 days of fiscal year end, per Texas Government Code Section 802.108. Plan registration changes are reported on form PRB-150 within 30 days of any change. Actuarial valuations occur at least every three years.

MET Training

Under the PRB Minimum Educational Training (MET) Program rules effective January 1, 2025, trustees and administrators must complete at least seven credit hours of core content training within their first year of service, plus at least two credit hours of continuing education each calendar year thereafter.

Funding Soundness Restoration Plans

Under Texas Government Code §§ 802.2015 and 802.2016, a public retirement system whose effective amortization period exceeds 30 years (or whose funded ratio drops below 65% with a non-conforming amortization period) must jointly adopt with its sponsoring city a Funding Soundness Restoration Plan (FSRP) to bring the system back into compliance within 30 years.

TEXPERS Board of Directors

11 Members · 2 from TLFFRA Plans

The Texas Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems (TEXPERS) is a statewide nonprofit educational association organized in 1989 to serve trustees, administrators, professional service providers, and employee groups engaged in the management of Texas public employee retirement systems. Its eleven-member Board of Directors is elected from the broader TEXPERS membership and includes representatives from large municipal systems, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit plan, and (notably for this guide) two TLFFRA fund trustees: Kolby Beckham (Longview FRRF) and Paul Brown (Big Spring FRRF, a former TEXPERS President).

Sherry Mose
President
Houston Municipal Employees Pension System
Plan Administrator of the City of Houston Deferred Compensation Plan. Created the Financial Retirement Educational Event in 2006, which has served over 23,000 city employees. Chairs HMEPS, sits on the NCPERS Board, and is a recipient of the Joyce Johnson Award from the National Association of Securities Professionals.
Jose Cavazos
First Vice President
DART Defined Benefits Retirement Plan & Trust
Appointed Fiduciary for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Defined Contribution Committee since 2005. Completed TEXPERS Certified Trustee Training. Southwest Region Representative for the Latino Caucus through ATU.
Tyler Grossman
Second Vice President
El Paso Firemen & Policemen's Pension Fund
Executive Director and CIO of the El Paso Firemen & Policemen's Pension Fund. Elected to the El Paso board in 2001; served as Chairman until retirement in October 2015. 21-year veteran of the El Paso Police Department, retiring as a lieutenant. Holds an MBA from UTEP and is a graduate of the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas.
Carla Brewer
Secretary
Dallas Employees' Retirement Fund
Financial Services Manager for the City of Dallas Equipment and Fleet Management Department. Trustee of the Dallas Employees' Retirement Fund since 1999, currently in her eighth term. Board chair 2004-2014, vice-chair 2015-2017. MBA in Finance from Baylor University.
Larry Knott
Treasurer
DART Defined Benefits Retirement Plan & Trust
Retired from DART after 35+ years as a central support mechanic. Has served over 10 years on the DART defined benefit retirement committee. Former executive vice president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1338. Honorably discharged from the U.S. Army.
Kolby Beckham TLFFRA
Board Member
Longview Firemen's Relief & Retirement Fund
Captain at the Longview Fire Department, where he also serves as Chairman of the Pension Fund. Owns an Oilfield/Industrial Safety Consulting company providing safety training, accident investigations, and OSHA compliance consulting.
Terry Bratton
Board Member
Houston Police Officers' Pension System
Elected to the HPOPS board in January 2002; six-year Chairman, currently Vice Chairman. Retired from HPD in 2015 after 39+ years. Served as President of the Texas Police Association. Holds an LLC from the Texas Law Enforcement Command College and an advanced instructor certificate from Texas A&M.
Paul Brown TLFFRA
Board Member
Big Spring Firemen's Relief & Retirement Fund
On the TEXPERS Board of Directors since 1996; previously served as TEXPERS President. Society of Pension Professionals member with a Chartered Trustee designation. Trustee on the Big Spring Firemen's Relief & Retirement Fund Board (former Chairman). Former Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas AFL-CIO.
Kenneth Haben
Board Member
Dallas Police & Fire Pension System
Appointed to the TEXPERS Board January 17, 2023. Serves on the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Board as the Police Trustee since September 2020, on the Investment Advisory Committee. Previously served as a public arbitrator with FINRA.
John Jenkins
Board Member
Dallas Employees' Retirement Fund
14+ years of local government experience, 22 years of military service. Director of the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department. Former trustee for the Dallas Employees' Retirement Fund. UT Arlington bachelor's degree.
Paul Thompson
Board Member
El Paso Firemen & Policemen's Pension Fund
Lieutenant and 26-year veteran with the El Paso Fire Department. Ten-year trustee of the now nearly $2 billion El Paso Fire and Police Pension Fund and current Vice Chair; led its investment committee since 2019. President of the El Paso Central Labor Union AFL-CIO and a District Vice President for the Texas AFL-CIO.

TEXPERS Staff

Austin Headquarters

TEXPERS operates from a small Austin staff that handles education, communications, conference logistics, and member services.

Art Alfaro
Executive Director
Served the City of Austin for 31 years, including 13 as City Treasurer overseeing the City's $5.9 billion debt management program and $3.3 billion investment portfolio. Former trustee on the Employees Retirement System, Firefighters' Relief & Retirement Fund, Police Retirement System, and the Deferred Compensation Committee. 2010 GTOT President.
Lena Terrell, CAP
Director of Operations & Finance
Oversees TEXPERS day-to-day operations including membership services, IT, and financial operations. Holds a Certified Accounting Professional (CAP) designation. Joined TEXPERS in 2011 with 20+ years of customer service and member relations experience.
Allen Jones
Director of Communications & Event Marketing
Joined TEXPERS in 2017 following a career in journalism and publishing, including as a freelance reporter for the Houston Chronicle. Holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Communications. Named an Honored Listee with Marquis Who's Who in 2025.
Samantha Janik
Operations & Events Manager
Joined TEXPERS in April 2017. Primary contact for membership services. Pursuing a bachelor's degree in Communications and Human Resource Management from Texas Tech University.

Resources & Sources

Where the Numbers Came From
PRB Data Portal
data.prb.texas.gov/comparison/TLFFRA-2024.html publishes downloadable CSVs of every Texas public pension's reported financials, actuarial assumptions, and investment returns. All FY2024 metrics in this guide were pulled from the PRB's published comparative datasets and cross-checked against the underlying CSV files.
Pension Review Board
prb.texas.gov  |  (512) 463-1736  |  P.O. Box 13498, Austin, TX 78711-3498. The PRB oversees all Texas public retirement systems for actuarial soundness and Chapter 802 compliance.
TEXPERS
texpers.org  |  (713) 622-8018  |  PO Box 201960, Austin, TX 78720. The Texas Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems is the trade association for Texas public pension trustees, administrators, and service providers.
TLFFRA Statute
Texas Civil Statutes, Article 6243e, available through the Texas Legislature at statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Fiduciary standards reside in Texas Government Code Chapter 802. Funding Soundness Restoration Plan triggers are codified at Sections 802.2015 and 802.2016.
PRB Annual TLFFRA Report
The PRB publishes a consolidated annual TLFFRA report summarizing the funding posture of all 42 systems, available at prb.texas.gov/local-firefighter-tlffra/.
PRB Reporting Calendar
The current Reporting Requirements and Calendar of Due Dates is published annually by the PRB at prb.texas.gov/plan-reporting-and-compliance/.
Comptroller Pension Search
The Texas Comptroller's Public Pension Search Tool provides plan-by-plan financial summaries derived from PRB filings.