N.Y. General Municipal Law § 219-o: Funding

§ 219-o. Funding. 1. The cost of a service award program including,

but not limited to, amounts necessary to fund benefits and to pay for

all necessary administrative services, shall be a charge against the

sponsor. The governing board of the sponsor annually shall appropriate

and pay to the administrator an amount sufficient to pay the cost of the

program. The cost of the program shall be determined annually by the

program actuary designated by the comptroller. The program actuary shall

select the interest rate, mortality tables and other appropriate

assumptions and methods to determine the cost of the program. The cost

of the program, if any, attributable to (a) years of ambulance service

rendered during the five years immediately preceding the adoption of the

program or (b) the conversion of the program pursuant to section two

hundred nineteen-i of this chapter, shall be paid over a period not to

exceed five years. The comptroller shall promulgate rules and

regulations prescribing the time and manner of payment of the cost of

the program.

2. (a) Before or after a service award program is adopted for the

volunteer ambulance workers of an ambulance company which contracts to

provide service to one or more political subdivisions other than the

prospective or actual sponsor of the program, the governing boards of

the sponsor and one or more of such other political subdivisions may

enter into agreements to apportion the cost of the program in any

equitable manner between the sponsor and such other political

subdivisions.

(b) No such agreement shall be entered into by a political subdivision

other than the sponsor unless a resolution authorizing the agreement is

approved by the affirmative vote of at least sixty percent of the

governing board of the political subdivision and a proposition

authorizing the agreement or amendment is approved at a referendum of

the electors of the political subdivision.

(c) The proposition authorizing the agreement or amendment shall be

submitted to referendum not less than thirty days and not more than

ninety days after the governing board votes to authorize the agreement

or amendment. 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.

(d) Any such agreement shall remain in effect until amended or

terminated by resolution and submission of a proposition to referendum

as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subdivision, but shall be

suspended with respect to any such political subdivision which ceases to

contract with the ambulance company or in the event the sponsor ceases

to contract with the ambulance company.

(e) The amount to be paid by a political subdivision under any such

contract shall be a charge against the political subdivision and shall

be paid to the sponsor. The governing board of the sponsor shall apply

the amount received under any such contract to reduce the amount that

would otherwise be raised for the program from the sponsor.