Unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context, the following words and phrases as hereinafter used in this chapter shall have the following meanings:

     (1) "Retirement system" shall mean "employees' retirement system", provided for in RCW 41.28.020.

     (2) "Employee" shall mean any regularly appointed officer or regularly appointed employee of a first-class city as described in RCW 41.28.005, whose compensation in such employment is paid wholly by that city.

     (3) "Member" shall mean any person included in the membership of the retirement system as provided in RCW 41.28.030.

     (4) "City" shall mean any city of the first class as described in RCW 41.28.005.

     (5) "Board" shall mean "board of administration" as provided in RCW 41.28.080.

     (6) "Retirement fund" shall mean "employees' retirement fund" as created and established in RCW 41.28.070.

     (7) "City service" shall mean service rendered to city for compensation, and for the purpose of this chapter, a member shall be considered as being in city service only while he is receiving compensation from the city for such service.

     (8) "Prior service" shall mean the service of a member for compensation rendered to the city prior to July 1, 1939, and shall also include military or naval service of a member to the extent specified in RCW 41.28.050.

     (9) "Continuous service" shall mean uninterrupted employment by that city, except that discontinuance of city service of a member caused by layoff, leave of absence, suspension, or dismissal, followed by reentrance into city service within one year, shall not count as a break in the continuity of service: PROVIDED, That for the purpose of establishing membership in the retirement system continuous service shall mean six months' service in any one year.

     (10) "Beneficiary" shall mean any person in receipt of a pension, annuity, retirement allowance, disability allowance, or any other benefit provided in this chapter.

     (11) "Compensation" shall mean the compensation payable in cash, plus the monetary value, as determined by the board of administration, of any allowance in lieu thereof.

     (12) "Compensation earnable" by a member shall mean the average compensation as determined by the board of administration upon the basis of the average period of employment of members in the same group or class of employment and at the same rate of pay.

     (13) "Final compensation" means the annual average of the greatest compensation earnable by a member during any consecutive five-year period of service for which service credit is allowed.

     (14) "Normal contributions" shall mean contributions at the rate provided for in RCW 41.28.040(1).

     (15) "Additional contributions" shall mean the contributions provided for in RCW 41.28.040(4).

     (16) "Regular interest", unless changed by the board of administration as provided in RCW 41.28.060, shall mean interest at four percent per annum, compounded annually.

     (17) "Accumulated normal contribution" shall mean the sum of all normal contributions, deducted from the compensation of a member, standing to the credit of his individual account, together with regular interest thereon.

     (18) "Accumulated additional contributions" shall mean the sum of all the additional contributions, deducted from the compensation of a member, standing to the credit of his individual account, together with regular interest thereon.

     (19) "Accumulated contributions" shall mean accumulated normal contributions plus accumulated additional contributions.

     (20) "Pension" shall mean payments derived from contributions made by the city as provided for in RCW 41.28.130 and 41.28.150.

     (21) "Annuity" shall mean payments derived from contributions made by a member as provided in RCW 41.28.130 and 41.28.150.

     (22) "Retirement allowance" shall mean the pension plus the annuity.

     (23) "Fiscal year" shall mean any year commencing with January 1st, and ending with December 31st, next following.

     (24) "Creditable service" shall mean such service as is evidenced by the record of normal contributions received from the employee plus prior service if credit for same is still intact or not lost through withdrawal of accumulated normal contributions as provided in RCW 41.28.110.

[1967 c 185 § 1; 1963 c 91 § 1; 1939 c 207 § 2; RRS § 9592-102.]