There is created a public corporation of this state to be known as "The Board of Trustees of the Georgia Municipal Employees Benefit System (GMEBS)." Said corporation shall be the successor to the Joint Municipal Employees Retirement System (JMERS) and it is the intent of this chapter that all rights, duties, and obligations of JMERS are assigned to and are assumed by the new system. The creation of GMEBS shall not increase, diminish, grant, destroy, impair, alter, or otherwise affect any pension, retirement benefit or allowance, survivors benefit, membership or right to membership, creditable service or right thereto, prior service or right thereto, or any option, election, or right of any kind created pursuant to a contract or ordinance or resolution with the Joint Municipal Employees Retirement System in existence on July 1, 1984. The GMEBS board shall have and be vested with, as a minimum, the same rights, powers, duties, privileges, and authority of any board of a municipal employee benefit program to which the GMEBS board serves as a successor board.