Note 9. Pension Obligations (continued):

Long-Term Expected Rate of Return - In accordance with State statute, the long-term expected rate of return on plan investments (7.00% at June 30, 2019) is determined by the State Treasurer, after consultation with the Directors of the Division of Investments and Division of Pensions and Benefits, the board of trustees and the actuaries. The long-term expected rate of return was determined using a building block method in which best-estimate ranges of expected future real rates of return (expected returns, net of pension plan investment expense and inflation) are developed for each major asset class. These ranges are combined to produce the long-term expected rate of return by weighting the expected future real rates of return by the target asset allocation percentage and by adding expected inflation. Best estimates of arithmetic rates of return for each major asset class included in PFRS's target asset allocation as of June 30, 2019 are summarized in the following table:

Discount Rate - The discount rate used to measure the total pension liability was 6.85% as of June 30, 2019. The single blended discount rate was based on long-term expected rate of return on pension plan investments of 7.00%, and a municipal bond rate of 3.50% as of June 30, 2019 based on the Bond Buyer Go 20-Bond Municipal Bond Index, which includes tax-exempt general obligation municipals bonds with an average rating of AA/Aa or higher. The projection of cash flows used to determine the discount rate assumed that contributions from plan members will be made at the current member contribution rates and that contributions from employers and the nonemployer contributing entity will be based on 70% of the actuarially determined contributions for the State employer and 100% of actuarially determined contributions for local employers. Based on those assumptions, the plan’s fiduciary net position was projected to be available to make projected future benefit payments of current plan members through 2076. Therefore, the long-term expected rate of return on plan investments was applied to projected benefit payments through 2076 and the municipal bond rate was applied to projected benefit payments after that date in determining the total pension liability.

Sensitivity of the Township’s proportionate share of the Net Pension Liability to Changes in the Discount Rate - The following presents the Township’s proportionate share of the net pension liability calculated using the discount rate as disclosed above, as well as what the Township’s proportionate share of the net pension liability would be if it were calculated using a discount rate that is 1-percentage-point lower (5.85%) or 1-percentage-point higher (7.85%) than the current rate:

57