MNFPC subscriber trustees gain access to membership applications, benefit request forms, policy and procedure templates, and a secured-web page where MNFPC electronically stores subscribers’ specific model bylaws and associated documents. Contact us to discuss if MNFPC is the solution for your relief association
Here is a short description of of what subscribers see:
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Articles of Incorporation
Articles of Incorporation, along with the bylaws, contain the fundamental rules that define your relief association. They and the state laws constitute the “rule book” by which the members and the State of Minnesota control the organization, as governed by the Board.
MNFPC files subscribers’ restated Articles of Incorporation with the Minnesota Secretary of State. The basic Articles of Incorporation must include the association’s name and address, its incorporator and under which state statute (317A) the association is organized. MNFPC model Articles of Incorporation clarify tax exemption, strengthen trustee indemnification, and are designed to minimize future amendments.
Bylaws
Other than the Articles of Incorporation, generally the bylaws provide all the governing provisions or, in other words, sections on membership, trustee and officer rights and duties, elections and meetings. They summarize requirements imposed by Minnesota law and can offer more specific provisions that are applicable to your relief association.
Fire relief association bylaws also include language regarding service pension eligibility, requirements for accruing active service, benefit calculation and request and payment processing. Ancillary benefits such as Survivor and Disability benefits are defined if offered by your relief association.
Plan Forms
MNFPC has created pension plan forms to help trustees to administer the relief association retirement plan. Types of forms include:
- Retirement benefit payment request
- Survivor benefit payment request
- Disability benefit payment request
- Membership application
- Member separation
- Change of beneficiaries
Policy and Procedures
Policies and Procedures “hang” from specific sections of the relief association bylaws and provide instruction on how to administer the general bylaw rules. By providing structure and explaining how to carry out the bylaw rules, these documents provide efficient and consistent application of the bylaws. Descriptions and bylaw cross-references for each template and form help trustees to understand which document to use.
MNFPC has created Policy and Procedure Word documents templates to help you administer certain policies and procedures under your bylaws. Trustees can modify the sample language to satisfy specific relief association situations.
FactSheets
In addition to the continuing education training MNFPC makes available to the Minnesota fire relief association community, MNFPC also provides fact sheets that address common relief association issues. Each factsheet includes a checklist to let the trustee self-assess individual relief association situation.
Support
MNFPC’s consortium approach allows us to offer services and benefits that fire reliefs would find financially difficult doing on their own. After each legislative session we work with our legal team to incorporate new laws and trustee ideas into the model documents. MNFPC also provides these ongoing supportive services to subscribing associations:
- Administration of bylaw amendment filings
- E-mail and telephone support for bylaw and operational questions
- Bylaw continuing education for new and experienced trustees
- Client-only secured page on MNFPC’s website