Employee Benefits

The City of South Portland offers a comprehensive package of benefits to permanent full-time and permanent part-time employees who work more than twenty (20) hours per week on a year-round basis.  The Human Resources Department is available to provide assistance regarding benefit questions and enrollment.

Retirement Plans
Roth IRA
Long-term Disability

Income Protection Plan (Short Term Disability) 
Life Insurance
Health and Dental and Vision Insurance
Section 125  Flexible Spending Accounts-Medical and Dependent Care
Employee Assistance Program
Wellness
Educational Reimbursement
Holidays 

 

Quick Links

 

RETIREMENT PLANS 

Although not intended to be a sole source of retirement income, the City does cover its non-Firefighter employee’s for social security. Firefighters are exempt from FICA coverage and are required to enroll in MePERS.

The City of South Portland currently offers two retirement savings plans. These plans are classified as a “defined benefit plan” and a “defined contribution plan”

  1. Our “defined benefit plan” is administered through the Maine Public Employees Retirement System or MePERS (formally known as Maine State Retirement System or MSRS).
  2. The second retirement plan offered is our “defined contribution plan” is administered through the Internal City Managers Association Retirement Corporation or ICMA-RC. This plan, defined as 457/401a combo plan, for 2019, you can contribute up to $19,000, up to $25,000 if you are age 50 or over, or up to $38,000 if you qualify for pre-retirement catch-up contributions.

ROTH IRA

The City also offers a ROTH-IRA administered through ICMA-RC which allows employees to contribute a maximum of $6,000.00 annually in 2019. If you are age 50 or over, an additional $1,000.00 may be contributed for pre-retirement catch-up contributions.

Please feel free to visit their websites for additional information.

LONG TERM DISABILITY 

All employee’s who participate in either retirement plan will also be covered under a Long Term Disability plan. Employee’s who do not participate will NOT have LTD coverage. MePERS administers their own LTD plan for all participants. ICMA-RC participants will be automatically enrolled in an LTD plan administered by UNUM. There is no charge to the employee for either LTD plan.

LIFE INSURANCE PLANS 

The City offers life insurance coverage through MePERS and Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust (MMEHT). Both plans offer basic life, supplemental life and dependent life coverage.

Employee’s can elect to have life insurance coverage under either or both plans. You do not have to be a contributing MePERS member to enroll in the life insurance plan. Nor are you required to be covered under the City’s health insurance plan at MMEHT to participate in the life insurance plan. However, if you do participate in the City’s health insurance plan, you will receive one times your annual salary in basic life insurance through MMEHT at no cost.

HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE 

DENTAL 

The City offers Dental Insurance coverage through Delta Dental. There are three levels of coverage. Single, 2 people or 3 or more. Dental Insurance is 100% employee paid.

HEALTH 

All non-union employees eligible for health insurance (working 20 hrs a week or more) who are hired on or after  December 1, 2010, are only eligible to participate in either a POS C or PPO-500 Health Insurance Plan administered through Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust (MMEHT). Part-times employees pay a pro-rated portion of the single plan and must pay the entire portion of the dependent health insurance costs based on their budgeted hours. Enrollment in the City’s Health plan entitles the employee to one times their annual salary in life insurance at MMEHT at no cost to the employee.

VISION CARE

Full-time and part-time non-union employees working twenty (20) hours or more per week are eligible to participate in a Vision Care Plan. Vision Insurance is 100% employee paid.

The VSP Vision Care Plan is through the Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust (MMEHT) and offers employees personalized eye care, eye wear and choice of providers, both in and out-of-network.  Employees receive discounts and savings on eye exams, frames, lenses, contacts, prescription sunglasses, second pair of glasses and laser vision correction surgery. Enrollment in the plan is voluntary with 100% employee contribution through pre-tax weekly premiums for a variety of coverage options; employee only, employee and spouse, employee and children, and family. Each December there will be an open enrollment for the following January 1st effective date.

Plan information, including weekly premium rates, savings and discounts is available in the Human Resources Office.  For more information visit Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust.

LEGAL SHIELD & IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION

Full-time and part-time non-union employees working twenty (20) hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in a pre-paid legal services program (Legal Shield) consisting of Life Events Legal Plan and Identity Theft Shield benefits.

The plan offers 24-hour emergency access to legal services for personal and family matters, home sale or purchase, lease agreements, problem credit, divorce, child support, motor vehicle and traffic violations, IRS audits, trial defense, debit or credit card issues, wills, power of attorney, identity theft and restoration, and much more.

The benefit covers the employee, spouse or domestic partner, and all qualified dependants. Enrollment in the plan is voluntary with 100% employee contribution through after-tax weekly premiums. Employees may enroll in both the Life Events Legal Plan and Identity Theft Shield, or each separately.  The benefits are month to month with no long-term contract. The benefits are portable, at the discounted group rate, should the employee leave employment with the City.

Employees may sign up during the annual benefits open enrollment period in December with an effective date of January 1st.  More information on the Legal Shield Plan, including benefits and weekly premiums is available in the Human Resources Office, or visit their web site at the Legal Shield quick link provided below. Participation in this plan is 100% employee paid.

SECTION 125 MEDICAL AND DEPENDENT CARE REIMBURSEMENT PLAN 

Our third-party administrator for our flexible spending plan is Benefit Strategies, LLC. 

Certain out-of-pocket medical expenses not paid by health insurance may be withheld on a pre-tax basis up to a maximum allowed $2700.

Dependent care expenses ($5,000 maximum per year, $2,500 if married and filing separately).

100% employee paid.

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

The City offers an employee assistance program through Anthem EAP. Life is not easy.  During tough times, Anthem EAP is one place you can turn to for help from caring, experienced professionals. Anthem EAP can offer information and advice to help with a wide range of problems – from relationship and family concerns, workplace conflict, anxiety, stress, depression, alcohol and drug abuse, grief, and even financial, legal, child care, elder care and much more.  Anthem EAP provides employees and dependents with free confidential assistance, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; up to 3 free face-to-face counseling visits per employee/household member per issue; lots of on-line resources. To see what Anthem EAP can do for you, visit www.anthemEAP.com for a 10-minute orientation video or call 1-800-647-9151. This service is 100% confidential.

WELLNESS

Did you know that the monthly cost of health insurance for employee’s eligible for benefits, is directly tied to our overall health. The healthier we are and the better we take care of ourselves, we can actually impact the rate of increase in our costs for coverage. It is in all of our best interests to strive for a healthy workforce. Our Wellness Committee has initiated a program, with incentives, to challenge our non-union staff to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Wellness exercise logs, attendance at the monthly Wellness classes, annual age appropriate physicals, Wellness profiles, blood pressure and BMI monitoring, when successfully completed according to the program can earn you up to $285.00 per calendar year and a “Wellness” day off with pay!   

EDUCATIONAL REIMBURSEMENT

The City of South Portland will fund educational assistance provided by an accredited institution for full-time employees. Employees must have successfully completed their probationary period and received prior approval of courses.  An employee may be reimbursed up to fifty percent (50%) of the tuition, laboratory fees and books.  An employee must receive a grade of “B” or better to be eligible to receive reimbursement as described in the Personnel Policy.

HOLIDAYS

All regular, full-time and permanent part-time classified and exempt employees shall receive time off without loss of pay for the following holidays:

New Year’s Day

Martin Luther King Day

President’s Day

Patriot’s Day

Memorial Day

Juneteenth Day

Independence Day

Labor Day

Indigenous People's Day 

Veteran’s Day

Thanksgiving Day

Christmas Day