HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025 05 08 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting MinutesCITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA
MINUTES
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
REGULAR MEETING
MAY 8, 2025
CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Marco Santoro called the Regular Meeting of Thursday, May 8, 2025, of the Board of Trustees to order at 5:30 pm in the Commission Chambers (City Hall, 1126 East State Road 434,
Winter Springs, Florida 32708).
Roll Call:
Chairperson Marco Santoro, present Vice-Chairperson Arif Fareed, present
Board Member Michael Blake, present Board Member Brandon Fair, present Board Member David Withee, present
City Clerk Christian Gowan, present
Also present:
Mr. Dave West, Senior Consultant, Mariner, 531 West Morse Blvd., Suite 200, Winter Park, Florida
Ms. Shelly Jones, Gabriel, Roeder, Smith 7 Company (GRS), One East Broward Boulevard, Suite
500, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Ms. Holly Queen, Director, Finance Department
Mr. Brian Dunigan, Director, Operations Department
AWARDS AND PRESENTATIONS
100. Not Used
INFORMATIONAL AGENDA
200. Not Used
PUBLIC INPUT
Chairperson Santoro opened Public Input.
No one addressed the Board.
Chairperson Santoro closed Public Input.
CONSENT AGENDA
300) Approval of the Thursday, February 13, 2025 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Minutes
"MOTION TO APPROVE WITH CORRECTION TO ATTENDANCE." MOTION BY CHAIRPERSON
SANTORO. SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER BLAKE. DISCUSSION.
VOTE: BLAKE (AYE); FAIR (AYE); WITHEE (AYE); FAREED (AYE); SANTORO (AYE)
MOTION CARRIED 5-0.
PUBLIC HEARINGS AGENDA
400. Not Used
CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA
MINUTES
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
REGULAR MEETING – MAY 08, 2025
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REGULAR AGENDA
500) GRS Actuarial Valuation Report of the Defined Benefit Plan – October 1, 2024
Ms. Shelly Jones from Gabriel Roeder Smith (GRS) presented the actuarial valuation as of October 1, 2024 and reviewed the minimum contribution, the member and city contributions, noted the
funded ration had increased from 88.3% to 90.8%, and further noted a market value return of 23.74% (smoothed value return of 9.38%) primarily due to strong asset returns. Ms. Jones noted that no changes were made to the assumptions or plan structure but advised that the Florida Retirement
System had updated mortality assumptions which would be factored into the next valuation and may increase liabilities for plan members.
Brief discussion followed on de-risking strategies and where these were being pursued.
“MOTION TO ACCEPT THE VALUATION WITH THANKS TO GRS.” MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER
BLAKE. SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER FAIR. DISCUSSION.
VOTE: BLAKE (AYE); FAIR (AYE); WITHEE (AYE); FAREED (AYE); SANTORO (AYE)
MOTION CARRIED 5-0.
501) Quarterly Investment Return Report from Mariner
Mr. West presented the quarterly investment report, noted fiscal year-to-date fund performance was down 1 -1.5% with a recovery expected in April, discussed the economic impact of tariffs and uncertainty, noted previous action taken to reallocate $1.7 million from the RBC International Equity Fund to Vanguard short-term bond funds, and announced that current asset allocation remained in line with targets.
“MOVE TO ACCEPT THE INVESTMENT REPORT.” MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER BLAKE.
SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER FAIR. DISCUSSION.
VOTE: BLAKE (AYE); FAIR (AYE); WITHEE (AYE); FAREED (AYE); SANTORO (AYE)
MOTION CARRIED 5-0.
Mr. West presented an analysis of potential replacements for the RBC International Fund, focusing on three candidates: Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA), T Rowe Price, and Transamerica. Mr. West
noted that T. Rowe Price had recently undergone a portfolio manager change which raised some
concerns and highlighted DFA’s 96% down market capture.
Discussion followed on potential Collective Investment Trust (CIT) options that might offer lower fees, special pricing that may be available based on the amount invested, and the potential of
indexing the international equity allocation.
“MOTION TO REPLACE RBC INTERNATIONAL FUND WITH THE DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS (DFA) INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND WITH THE CAVEAT THAT MR. WEST SHOULD EXPLORE POTENTIAL LOWER-COST COLLECTIVE INVESTMENT TRUST (CIT) OPTIONS BEFORE FINALIZING THE TRANSACTION.” MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER FAIR. SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER BLAKE. DISCUSSION.
VOTE: BLAKE (AYE); FAIR (AYE); WITHEE (AYE); FAREED (AYE); SANTORO (AYE)
MOTION CARRIED 5-0.
CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA
MINUTES
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
REGULAR MEETING – MAY 08, 2025
PAGE 3 OF 3
REPORTS
PUBLIC INPUT
Chairperson Santoro opened Public Input.
No one addressed the Board.
Chairperson Santoro closed Public Input.
ADJOURNMENT
Chairperson Santoro adjourned the Regular Meeting at 6:40 p.m.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:
___________________________________
CHRISTIAN D. GOWAN, MPA, CMC
CITY CLERK
NOTE: These Minutes were approved at the August 19, 2025 Board of Trustees Regular Meeting.