5502

COUNTY LOCAL LAWS

option benefit will be in lieu of the widow's benefit
provided in Section 35—15 (b) of the Police Relief and
Retirement Fund of Montgomery County.

If the joint and survivor option is elected, the
amount of a Group D retiree's pension shall not be
affected or reduced at any time.

Upon the death of the retiree, the amount of a
spouse's benefit shall equal fifty percent of the
retiree's benefit on date of death and shall be payable
to an eligible spouse for life.

SECTION VI. Section 45 (c), title "Discontinued
service pension" is hereby amended to read as follows:

(c) Discontinued service pension.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article,
should any member, regardless of age, who has completed
ten or more years of continuous service in a full—time
position vacate the position by reason of its abolishment
or should the member's employment, tenure or status be
terminated by administrative action or adversely affected
by an act of the County Executive, the Chief
Administrative Officer, the County Attorney, the
Administrative Hearing Examiner, the head of a principal
department, office or agency of the County Government,
any appointing authority, the County Council or any
member thereof, the General Assembly of the State of
Maryland, or the electorate of Montgomery County, such
member may elect, in lieu of the return of member
contributions with credited interest, to receive a
retirement benefit indicated below, commencing at the
member's elective early retirement date, or immediately
if eligible for early retirement.

The amount of discontinued service retirement
benefit of a member with ten years of continuous service
shall be twenty—five percent of final earnings. For each
additional year of credited service the member shall
receive an additional two percent of final earnings.
Total credited service may not exceed thirty six—years,
plus sick leave credits.

Notwithstanding the above provisions, any member
covered by this plan on April 1, 1970, and continuously
employed thereafter, who has reached elective early
retirement date and has at least twenty years of
continuous County service, will be eligible to receive a
pension commencing immediately in an amount not less than
fifty percent of final earnings.

Notwithstanding the above provisions, ten or more
years of credited service may be substituted by any