Ross Township Police and General Employees' Pension Plans

Ross Township Police and General Employees' Pension Plans

The Ross Township Police and General Employees' Pension Plans operate as single-employer defined-benefit plans covering substantially all full-time municipal workers in this suburban Pittsburgh community. Governance rests with the Township Board of Commissioners, which delegates administrative authority to Township Manager Ronald Borczyk, while Finance Director Daniel Berty and the Finance, Budget, and Pension Committee — chaired by Commissioner Jason Pirring — provide fiscal oversight. The plans pursue a conservative allocation anchored by cash equivalents, a Principal U.S. Property Separate Account spanning mixed-use and commercial assets across the United States, and a modest alternative investment portfolio. Public filings suggest the real estate exposure functions as the primary return engine above the risk-free rate, while the alternatives sleeve remains small relative to total plan assets. Geographic concentration is domestic, with real estate interests distributed nationally through the Principal-managed account and operating cash held locally in Pittsburgh. The plans' total asset pool sits below $250M, with Altss estimating roughly $102M in combined holdings. Governance flows through the Board of Commissioners, which appoints the Finance, Budget, and Pension Committee to oversee plan operations. Ross Township also participates in the North Hills Council of Governments, a regional professional network that may facilitate shared-service and knowledge-exchange opportunities with neighboring municipalities. The absence of a dedicated internal investment team means day-to-day administration falls to the Township Manager and Finance Director — a lean staffing model typical of Pennsylvania's smaller municipal plans. What distinguishes this structure is the complete absence of an external investment consultant layer visible in public disclosures — governance and execution are fused within the Township's general administrative apparatus. This distinguishes it from peer municipal plans that retain third-party advisors. The result is a streamlined decision chain from the Board of Commissioners through the Finance Committee to the Township Manager, with no intermediary investment office buffering the political body from asset-level decisions.