Section 219-L. Authorization to adopt service award programs

1.  No
  political subdivision  shall  be  required  to  adopt  a  service  award
  program.    Any  service  award program adopted pursuant to this section
  shall be governed by the provisions of this article.
    2. A political subdivision may adopt a service award program  for  the
  volunteer ambulance workers of ambulance companies which are either:
    (a)  a municipal ambulance service of the political subdivision; or
    (b)  a  voluntary  ambulance  service  which  provides  service to the
  political subdivision under contract with the  governing  board  thereof
  and has its principal headquarters in the political subdivision.
    3.  The  governing  board  of a political subdivision which intends to
  adopt a service award program shall engage the services of  the  program
  actuary designated by the comptroller for the purpose of determining the
  estimated  annual  cost  of  the  program.  The  program  actuary  shall
  determine estimated annual cost of  the  program  on  the  basis  of  an
  interest  rate,  mortality  tables and other appropriate assumptions and
  methods selected by the actuary. The cost  of  obtaining  such  estimate
  shall  be  a charge against the political subdivision, provided, that if
  the political subdivision is an ambulance district or a fire  protection
  district,  the  town  in  which  the district is located may temporarily
  advance moneys from its general fund to pay  for  the  services  of  the
  actuary  and  the  district  shall reimburse the town with interest from
  moneys raised for that purpose in the district's next succeeding  fiscal
  year.
    4.  Following  such  determination  of  the estimated annual cost of a
  service award program, the program may be adopted only by resolution  of
  the governing board of a political subdivision receiving the affirmative
  vote  of  at least sixty percent of the governing board and the approval
  of a proposition authorizing the adoption of the program at a referendum
  of the electors of the political subdivision.
    5. The resolution authorizing adoption  of  a  service  award  program
  shall state:
    (a)  the  name  of  each  volunteer ambulance company having volunteer
  ambulance workers who are potential participants in the program;
    (b) the activities for which points shall be granted toward a year  of
  ambulance service;
    (c) the amount of the benefit provided under the program;
    (d) whether the program provides credit for years of ambulance service
  rendered  by  a  participant  during the five calendar years immediately
  preceding the adoption of the program;
    (e) in the case of a service award program which provides  credit  for
  years  of  ambulance  service  rendered by a participant during the five
  calendar years immediately preceding the adoption of  the  program,  the
  timing and method of financing the cost of providing such credit;
    (f) the date as of which the program shall take effect;
    (g)  in  the  case  of a service award program to take effect on a day
  other than the first day of January, whether points  toward  a  year  of
  ambulance service shall be granted for activities performed prior to the
  effective  date of the program and on or after the immediately preceding
  first day of January; and
    (h) the date on which the proposition authorizing the adoption of  the
  program shall be submitted to referendum.
    6.  The  proposition authorizing adoption of the service award program
  shall be submitted to referendum not less than thirty days and not  more
  than  ninety  days  after  the  governing  board  votes to authorize the
  adoption of the program.  Notice of the referendum shall be published at
  least once, not less than  fourteen  days  prior  to  the  date  of  the
  referendum,  in  the official newspaper of the political subdivision or,

  if the political subdivision does not have an official newspaper, in one
  or  more  newspapers  having  general  circulation  in   the   political
  subdivision.    The  referendum  shall be conducted and the cost thereof
  charged  in  the  same  manner  as other referenda held by the political
  subdivision.
    7. The proposition shall state:
    (a) the estimated annual cost of the service award program;
    (b) the portion of the estimated annual cost of the program,  if  any,
  to be paid by one or more other political subdivisions;
    (c) the estimated annual cost per participant;
    (d) the estimated annual administration fee;
    (e) whether the program provides credit for years of ambulance service
  rendered  by  a  participant  during the five calendar years immediately
  preceding the  adoption  of  the  program  and  the  estimated  cost  of
  providing such credit; and
    (f)    in  the case of a service award program to take effect on a day
  other than the first day of January, whether points  toward  a  year  of
  ambulance service shall be granted for activities performed prior to the
  effective  date of the program and on or after the immediately preceding
  first day of January.
    8. Upon approval of the proposition, the service award  program  shall
  be  deemed  adopted  by the political subdivision in accordance with the
  terms of the resolution adopted by the governing board.
    9. (a) Once a service award program has  been  adopted,  participation
  therein  by  the  sponsor  may  be terminated, or the benefits under the
  program may be changed, or the program may be amended to provide  credit
  for years of ambulance service rendered by a participant during the five
  calendar  years  immediately  preceding  the adoption of the program, by
  resolution  of  the  governing  board  of  the  sponsor  receiving   the
  affirmative  vote  of  at least sixty percent of the governing board and
  the approval of a proposition at a referendum of  the  electors  of  the
  sponsor.
    (b)  The activities for which points shall be granted toward a year of
  ambulance  service  may  be  changed  by  resolution  adopted   by   the
  affirmative vote of at least sixty percent of the governing board of the
  sponsor without referendum.
    (c) The sponsor's participation in a service award program adopted for
  the  volunteer  ambulance  workers  of  one  or more ambulance companies
  described in paragraph (b) of subdivision two of this section  shall  be
  suspended  to  the  extent  that service credit shall not be granted for
  activities performed by the volunteer  ambulance  workers  of  any  such
  ambulance  company  during  any  period  in  which the company ceases to
  provide service to the sponsor under contract with the  governing  board
  thereof.