§ 219-O — Funding

§ 219-o. Funding. 1. The cost of a service award program including,\nbut not limited to, amounts necessary to fund benefits and to pay for\nall necessary administrative services, shall be a charge against the\nsponsor. The governing board of the sponsor annually shall appropriate\nand pay to the administrator an amount sufficient to pay the cost of the\nprogram. The cost of the program shall be determined annually by the\nprogram actuary designated by the comptroller. The program actuary shall\nselect the interest rate, mortality tables and other appropriate\nassumptions and methods to determine the cost of the program. The cost\nof the program, if any, attributable to (a) years of ambulance service\nrendered during the five years immediately preceding the adoption of the\nprogram or (b) the conversion of the program pursuant to section two\nhundred nineteen-i of this chapter, shall be paid over a period not to\nexceed five years. The comptroller shall promulgate rules and\nregulations prescribing the time and manner of payment of the cost of\nthe program.\n 2. (a) Before or after a service award program is adopted for the\nvolunteer ambulance workers of an ambulance company which contracts to\nprovide service to one or more political subdivisions other than the\nprospective or actual sponsor of the program, the governing boards of\nthe sponsor and one or more of such other political subdivisions may\nenter into agreements to apportion the cost of the program in any\nequitable manner between the sponsor and such other political\nsubdivisions.\n (b) No such agreement shall be entered into by a political subdivision\nother than the sponsor unless a resolution authorizing the agreement is\napproved by the affirmative vote of at least sixty percent of the\ngoverning board of the political subdivision and a proposition\nauthorizing the agreement or amendment is approved at a referendum of\nthe electors of the political subdivision.\n (c) The proposition authorizing the agreement or amendment shall be\nsubmitted to referendum not less than thirty days and not more than\nninety days after the governing board votes to authorize the agreement\nor amendment. Notice of the referendum shall be published at least once,\nnot less than fourteen days prior to the date of the referendum, in the\nofficial newspaper of the political subdivision or, if the political\nsubdivision does not have an official newspaper, in one or more\nnewspapers having general circulation in the political subdivision.\n (d) Any such agreement shall remain in effect until amended or\nterminated by resolution and submission of a proposition to referendum\nas provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subdivision, but shall be\nsuspended with respect to any such political subdivision which ceases to\ncontract with the ambulance company or in the event the sponsor ceases\nto contract with the ambulance company.\n (e) The amount to be paid by a political subdivision under any such\ncontract shall be a charge against the political subdivision and shall\nbe paid to the sponsor. The governing board of the sponsor shall apply\nthe amount received under any such contract to reduce the amount that\nwould otherwise be raised for the program from the sponsor.\n