Exhibit 10.4
2007 Pension
Equalization Plan
of Black Hills
Corporation
As amended and restated effective January 1,
2009
Effective February
2, 2007, Black Hills Corporation, a South Dakota corporation
(“Company”) established a new “top hat”
pension equalization plan for certain of its management or highly
compensated employees, to be known as the 2007 Pension Equalization
Plan of Black Hills Corporation (“Plan”). Effective
January 1, 2009, the Plan is hereby amended and restated in its
entirety to reflect changes made to comply with final regulations
issued under Internal Revenue Code Section 409A.
It is the intention
of the Company that: (1) this Plan will be operated in reasonable
good faith compliance with Code Section 409A and the interim
guidance issued thereunder during the period from February 2, 2007
through December 31, 2008; and (2) this Plan will comply with the
provisions of Code Section 409A and the final regulations issued
thereunder effective January 1, 2009.
The purpose of the
Plan is to provide a select group of management or highly
compensated employees with certain retirement, disability and death
benefits in addition to those benefits which the Participants may
enjoy from the Company’s tax qualified retirement plans in
order to supplement and attempt to equalize total retirement
benefits being paid to persons holding like executive and
management positions by other companies. The Plan is designed to
aid the Company in attracting and retaining its executive
employees, persons whose abilities, experience and judgment can
contribute to the well-being of the Company. It is the intention of
Company that this Plan shall be administered as an unfunded benefit
plan established and maintained for a select group of management or
highly compensated employees.
“Active
Participant” shall mean a Participant who has not incurred a
Termination of Employment and whose participation hereunder has not
been discontinued by the Board of Directors.
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“Actuarial
Equivalent” shall mean a benefit of equivalent value computed
on the basis of the Applicable Interest Rate and the Applicable
Mortality Table.
“Affiliate” shall
mean any business organization or legal entity that directly or
indirectly, controls, is controlled by or is under common control
with the Company. For purposes of this definition, the term
“control” (including the terms
“controlling”, “controlled by”, and
“under common control with”) includes the possession,
direct or indirect, of the power to vote 50 percent or more of the
voting equity securities, membership interest, or other voting
interest, or to direct or cause the direction of the management and
policies of such business organization or other legal entity,
whether through the ownership of voting equity securities,
membership interest, by contract, or otherwise.
“Annual
Compensation Limitation” shall mean the limitation on annual
compensation for tax qualified retirement plans as set forth in
Internal Revenue Code Section 401(a)(17) as the same may be amended
hereafter from time to time.
“Applicable
Interest Rate” shall mean the interest rate (or rates)
prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue for purposes of
Code Section 417(e), as in effect for the month of November
preceding the first day of the calendar year of
distribution..
“Applicable
Mortality Table” shall mean (i) in the case of a Participant,
the mortality table that is a blend of 75% of the male mortality
table and 25% of the female mortality table underlying the
mortality table prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue
for purposes of Code Section 417(e), regardless of the actual sex
of the Participant and (ii) in the case of a contingent annuitant,
the mortality table shall be a blend of 25% of the male mortality
table and 75% of the female mortality table underlying the
mortality table prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue
for purposes of Code Section 417(e), regardless of the actual sex
of the contingent annuitant. If the mortality table prescribed by
the Commissioner of Internal Revenue for purposes of Code Section
417(e) should be updated to a table that is not based on a blend of
underlying male and female mortality tables, then the tables in
effect immediately prior to such change shall continue to be used
by this Plan without change.
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“Average
Earnings” shall mean whichever of the following results in
the highest annual average Earnings: (i) a Participant’s
average Earnings for the five (5) consecutive full calendar years
of employment during the ten (10) full calendar years of employment
immediately preceding the Calculation Date, which results in the
highest such average; or (ii) a Participant’s average
Earnings determined by dividing the sum of the following by five
(5): (a) the Participant’s Earnings for the four full
calendar years preceding the year containing his Calculation Date;
(b) the Participant’s Earnings for the year containing his
Calculation Date as of the Calculation Date; and (c) a portion of
the Participant’s Earnings for the fifth full calendar year
preceding the year containing his Calculation Date determined by
multiplying his Earnings for said fifth preceding full calendar
year by a ratio, the numerator of which shall be 365 minus the
number of days in the year containing his Calculation Date measured
from the first day of said year to his Calculation Date, and the
denominator of which ratio shall be 365. If the Participant has
less than five (5) full calendar years of employment, the average
shall be taken over his total full calendar years of
employment.
“Beneficiary” shall
mean the individual(s) designated by the Participant to receive PEP
Benefits, if any, which are payable upon the Participant’s
death. A Participant may name one or more contingent Beneficiaries
to receive PEP Benefits in the event any PEP Benefits remain
payable after the death of the primary Beneficiary(ies). A
Participant’s Beneficiary designation must be made in writing
and filed with the Plan Administrator on the form provided for that
purpose. If more than one Beneficiary designation has been filed,
the Beneficiary or Beneficiaries designated in the notice bearing
the most recent date will be deemed the valid Beneficiary or
Beneficiaries. If no Beneficiary has been designated, or if no
Beneficiary survives, the Participant’s remaining PEP
Benefits shall be paid to the estate of the last to survive of the
Participant and the Beneficiary.
“Board of
Directors” shall mean the Board of Directors of the
Company.
“Calculation
Date” shall mean the earliest of (i) the date of the
Participant’s Termination of Employment, (ii) the date of the
Participant’s death and (iii) the date the
Participant’s participation in the Plan is
discontinued.
“Code”
shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended.
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"Controlled Group
Member" shall mean any corporation which is a member of a
controlled group of corporations (as defined in Section 414(b)
of the Code) which includes the Company; any trade or business
(whether or not incorporated) which is under common control (as
defined in Section 414(c) of the Code) with the Company; any
organization (whether or not incorporated) which is a member of an
affiliated service group (as defined in Section 414(m) of the
Code) which includes the Company; and any other entity required to
be aggregated with the Company pursuant to regulations under
Section 414(o) of the Code.
“Disability” or
“Disabled” shall mean that a Participant (i) is
receiving income replacement benefits for at least three months
under an employer-sponsored accident and health plan because of any
medically determinable physical or mental impairment that is
expected to last at least 12 continuous months or result in death,
or (ii) has been determined to be total disabled by the Social
Security Administration.
“Earnings” shall
mean the Participant’s Earnings, as defined for purposes of
the Pension Plan of Black Hills Corporation but determined without
regard to the Annual Compensation Limitation, for a calendar year
plus the amount, if any, of salary, bonus, or other compensation
that the Participant has elected to defer under the Company’s
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan for the calendar
year.
“Key
Employee” shall mean a Participant who is a specified
employee, as defined as in Code Section 409A and the regulations
and other official guidance issued thereunder, and as determined in
accordance with procedures established by the Plan
Administrator.
“Participant” shall
mean an employee or former employee of the Company or an Affiliate
who is designated as a Participant pursuant to paragraph 4 and who
is or may become entitled to receive benefits under the
Plan.
“PEP
Benefit” shall mean the benefit payable under the
Plan.
“Plan
Administrator” shall mean the Pension Administration
Committee described in the Pension Plan of Black Hills
Corporation.
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“Termination
of Employment” shall mean separation from service with the
Company and all Affiliates, in accordance with the provisions of
Code Section 409A. Pursuant to Code Section 409A, unless the facts
and circumstances indicate otherwise, a Termination of Employment
is presumed to have occurred where the Participant's level of bona
fide services performed decreases to a level equal to 20 percent or
less of the average level of services performed by the Participant
during the immediately preceding 36-month period, and a Termination
of Employment will be presumed not to have occurred where the
Participant's level of bona fide services performed continues at a
level that is 50 percent or more of the average level of service
performed by the Participant during the immediately preceding
36-month period. However, a Termination of Employment does not
occur while the Participant is on military leave, sick leave, or
other bona fide leave of absence if the period of such leave does
not exceed six months, or if longer, while the Participant retains
a right to reemployment with the Company or any Affiliate under an
applicable statute or by contract. A leave of absence constitutes a
bona fide leave of absence only if there is a reasonable
expectation that the Participant will return to perform services
for the Company or an Affiliate. If the period of leave exceeds six
months and the Participant does not retain a right to reemployment
under an applicable statute or by contract, the Participant's
Termination of Employment is deemed to occur on the day after the
end of the six-month period.
“Year of
Service as an Officer” shall mean each complete twelve-month
period beginning on the date an employee becomes an Officer and
ending at the earlier of (i) the date of the employee’s
Termination of Employment and (ii) the date the employee ceases to
be an Officer. Partial years shall be disregarded.
“Year of
Vesting Service” shall mean each complete twelve-month period
beginning on the date an employee becomes a Participant in the Plan
(or such earlier date specified by the Board of Directors of the
Company in its designation of an employee as a Participant in the
Plan pursuant to paragraph 4) and ending at the employee’s
Termination of Employment or, if earlier, when the employee’s
participation in the Plan is discontinued by the Board of
Directors. Partial years shall be disregarded.
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Any management or
highly compensated employees of the Company or its Affiliates who
are Officers and who are designated by the Board of Directors of
the Company upon recommendation of the Chief Executive Officer of
the Company shall be eligible to participate in the Plan. Each
employee of the Company or its Affiliates who was a participant in
the Plan on December 31, 2008, and who remains an employee on
January 1, 2009 shall be a Participant as of January 1, 2009. An
employee who was not a Participant on December 31, 2008 will become
a Participant on the first day of the calendar month beginning
after the date the employee is designated as a Participant by the
Board of Directors (or, if later, the participation date specified
in the designation). An employee ceases to be an Active Participant
upon his Termination of Employment or, if earlier, the date his
participation is discontinued by the Board of Directors. If a
Participant or former Participant is reemployed by the Company or
its Affiliates following a Termination of Employment, such employee
will not become an Active Participant again unless he