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Ross Township Employees' & Police Pension System
Ross Township Employees' & Police Pension System administers defined-benefit retirement plans for the municipal workforce of this northern Pittsburgh suburb.
Ross Township Employees' & Police Pension System
Ross Township Employees' & Police Pension System administers defined-benefit retirement plans for the municipal workforce of this northern Pittsburgh suburb. Finance Director Daniel Berty manages day-to-day fiscal affairs, while the Board of Commissioners — led by President Daniel DeMarco and pension committee chair Jason Pirring — retains ultimate fiduciary authority over investment policy. The system operates as a classic municipal pension fund, balancing benefit obligations for police officers with those of general township employees under Pennsylvania's local government pension framework. The portfolio reflects a public-plan structure moving incrementally beyond traditional 60/40 boundaries. Core holdings sit in domestic and international equities alongside investment-grade fixed income, with a dedicated alternatives allocation spanning real estate, private credit, and hedge fund strategies. Cash and cash equivalents provide liquidity for benefit payments, while the alternatives book — though modest relative to the largest state systems — suggests a deliberate diversification effort typical of mid-sized Pennsylvania municipal plans operating under Act 44 reporting requirements. Governance runs through the Finance, Budget, and Pension Committee, where Commissioners Pirring and Laslavic shape asset allocation recommendations for the full board. The township participates in the North Hills Council of Governments, an intergovernmental cooperative of northern Allegheny County municipalities that occasionally facilitates shared-services and cost-management conversations — though investment decisions remain fully local. No external investment consultant or OCIO relationship is publicly confirmed. Ross Township's dual-plan structure — separate pools for police and non-uniformed employees — mirrors Pennsylvania's broader municipal pension architecture, where Act 44 grades funding levels and mandates corrective action for distressed plans. This statutory framework creates both constraints and incentives distinct from private-sector corporate pensions, embedding the system's investment strategy within a regulatory compliance calendar that shapes liquidity needs and risk budgeting.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Pittsburgh
Corporate office
Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Principals
Daniel Berty
Finance Director
Jason Pirring
Commissioner, Chair of Finance, Budget, and Pension Committee
Daniel DeMarco
President, Board of Commissioners
Joe Laslavic
Commissioner, Finance, Budget, and Pension Committee
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Ross Township Employees' & Police Pension System?
Finance Director Daniel Berty handles day-to-day investment oversight and fiscal administration. The Board of Commissioners, through its Finance, Budget, and Pension Committee chaired by Jason Pirring, sets asset allocation policy and retains fiduciary authority over all investment decisions. No external OCIO arrangement is publicly disclosed.
How is the pension system governed?
An elected five-member Board of Commissioners serves as the plan's fiduciary body, with the Finance, Budget, and Pension Committee — chaired by Commissioner Jason Pirring and including Commissioner Joe Laslavic — handling investment and funding policy. The committee reports to the full board, which votes on major allocation changes. This structure is standard for Pennsylvania's Act 44 municipal pension framework.
Does the fund participate in alternative investments?
Yes. The system's disclosed holdings include cash and cash equivalents, other investments, and a specific category labeled alternative investments. While individual fund names or commitment sizes are not publicly itemized in available records, the alternatives sleeve typically covers real estate, private credit, and select hedge fund strategies common to Pennsylvania municipal plans of this size.
What distinguishes the police pension plan from the general employees' plan?
Pennsylvania law requires separate actuarial treatment and benefit structures for police officers versus non-uniformed municipal employees. The police plan typically carries earlier retirement eligibility and higher benefit multipliers, creating distinct funding profiles and liquidity demands; the general employees' plan follows standard municipal benefit schedules. Both pools are overseen by the same Board of Commissioners.
Where does the fund's money come from?
Contributions flow from three sources: employer contributions funded through Ross Township's municipal budget, employee contributions withheld from paychecks, and investment earnings on plan assets. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania also distributes state aid to municipalities under Act 44, with allocation partially tied to the plan's funded status.
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