Pension Payment CalendarCheck mailed August 28Direct deposit August 31

Board Elections 

Serving on the COAERS Board

The COAERS Board of Trustees are fiduciaries of the retirement system and discharge their duties in the exclusive interest of members and beneficiaries for the purpose of providing promised benefits to participants and their beneficiaries. Trustees work with professional staff and service providers including investment consultants, actuarial consultants, and legal counsel. 

COAERS is governed by an 11-member Board of Trustees that is comprised of:

  • Three elected active City of Austin employees 
  • Two elected retired employees 
  • Two City Council appointed citizens 
  • One Board appointed citizen
  • One City Manager designee
  • One Director of Finance of the City or designee
  • One City Council Member

Responsibilities of the Board of Trustees include:

  • Establishing and reviewing the mission and setting the strategic direction of COAERS;
  • Adopting policies, resolutions, and bylaws appropriate for the administration of COAERS;
  • Hiring and performance evaluation of the executive director;
  • Approval of the annual administrative budget;
  • Oversight of investment program and asset allocation of the fund;
  • Establishing the actuarial assumptions with the assistance of professional staff and consulting actuary; and
  • Approval of disability retirement applications. 

 

Election Process

Election Process Overview 

Election Cycles

  • Board elections are held every year for active and retired trustee positions and are overseen by a volunteer committee called the Nominating and Election Committee.
  • The volunteer Nominating and Election Committee meets approximately three times in the election year:
    • to kick off the election season
    • to review candidate qualifications
    • to prepare ballot; and
    • to tabulate votes.
  • All meetings are held at the COAERS Boardroom at 4700 Mueller Blvd, Suite 100. If you are interested in being a volunteer on the Nominating and Election Committee, please send a message to Michelle Mahaini.

Term of Office

  • Terms for elected board members are four years and the terms are staggered so that there is an active or retired place for election every two years.
  • As current City employee, you have the opportunity to vote for peers running for active board positions. When you retire, you can vote for the retired positions.

Candidate Application

  • Any eligible current City employee or retired member can apply to be a candidate for active or retired member open positions, respectively.

Election Timeline

  • Candidate applications are submitted in September, with ballots mailed out in October and voting by December. The newly elected board member will begin their new term the upcoming January.

If you are interested in serving on the COAERS Board, please review the information below about open positions for Active members, Retired members, and citizen appointments. 

 

 Open Board Positions:

Active Member Elected Positions 

COAERS is seeking candidates for the following position on the Board of Trustees:

  1. ACTIVE MEMBER PLACE 7 - SPECIAL ELECTION

 

TERM

September 2026 through December 2027

 

CANDIDATE STATEMENTS

Zamesnik, Katy - Candidate Statement - Final English.pdfZamesnik, Katy - Candidate Statement - Final Spanish.pdfWheeler, Robert - Candidate Statement - Final English.pdfWheeler Robert - Candidate Statement - Final Spanish.pdfCastro, Albert- Candidate Statement - Final English.pdfCastro Albert- Candidate Statement -Final Spanish.pdf

 

 

HOW TO VOTE

Paper Ballots: 
Active members have the option to cast their vote through either a paper ballot which was mailed to all active members or by voting online. On the paper ballot, mark your vote, place it in the pre-paid stamped envelope, and mail it via postal mail. Ballot must be received before the voting deadline. 

Online Voting:  
Active members can also vote online. Online voting information (your personalized election code and PIN) is located on the paper ballot. Active members who have an email on file with COAERS also received election information via email from COAERS election partner YesElections with a unique voter identification code and pin. 

  1. Visit the voting website at vote.yeselections.com/COAERS
  2. Login via your unique election code and PIN,
  3. Mark your selection, and click submit to vote.


The deadline to vote is by 5 pm on September 4, 2026.

Retired Member Elected Positions 

COAERS is seeking candidates for the following position on the Board of Trustees:

  1. RETIRED MEMBER PLACE 11

 

TERM

January 2027 through December 2030

 

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to run, you must be a retired member currently receiving a monthly annuity payment from COAERS.

 

HOW TO BE BECOME A CANDIDATE

To declare yourself as a candidate for the position, complete and submit the candidate application and candidate disclosure form.

 

CANDIDATE APPLICATION PACKET

2026 Candidate Application Packet Retired Member Place 11

 

CANDIDATE APPLICATION DEADLINE

Friday, September 11, 2026, by or before 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

 

QUESTIONS

If you are interested in becoming a candidate for Place 8 or Place 8, or have questions about the election, please email Michelle Mahaini at michelle.mahaini@coaers.org.

 

CANDIDATE TRAINING WORKSHOP

A Candidates Training Workshop will be held in September to inform candidates of Trustee duties and responsibilities. Candidates may withdraw their application after the session if they are unable to make the necessary commitments.

 

ELECTION VOTING

Ballots for the 2026 COAERS Board Election will be mailed to retired members in fall. To ensure that your able to vote, please make sure your address is up to date with our office. You can update your information via MemberDirect. Only active-contributing members of COAERS are eligible to vote in this election.