N.Y. General Municipal Law § 219-r: Authorization to adopt supplemental award programs

§ 219-r. Authorization to adopt supplemental award programs. 1. No

political subdivision shall be required to adopt a supplemental award

program. Any supplemental award program adopted pursuant to this section

shall be governed by the provisions of this article.

2. (a) A political subdivision may adopt a supplemental award program

for volunteer firefighters only if that political subdivision has

previously established a service award program for volunteer

firefighters under article eleven-A or eleven-AA of this chapter.

(b) A political subdivision may adopt a supplemental award program for

volunteer ambulance workers only if that political subdivision has

previously established a service award program for volunteer ambulance

workers under article eleven-AAA of this chapter.

3. A supplemental award program may be adopted only in the same manner

as the service award program was adopted by a resolution of the

governing board following 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. A proposition for the approval of such local resolution

shall be submitted at the next general election of state or local

government officers held in such local government not less than sixty

days after the passage of such resolution.

4. The resolution authorizing adoption of a supplemental award program

shall state:

(a) the amount of the contribution to the program to be made by the

sponsor on behalf of each participant credited with at least one decade

of service;

(b) the maximum number of years for which service may be granted;

(c) the date on which the proposition authorizing the adoption of the

program shall be submitted to referendum;

(d) the date as of which the program shall take effect.

5. The proposition authorizing the adoption of the supplemental award

program shall be submitted to referendum in the same manner as the

service award program.

6. The proposition shall state:

(a) the estimated annual cost of the supplemental service award

program;

(b) the portion of the estimated annual cost of the program, if any,

to be paid by any other political subdivisions;

(c) annual cost per participant;

(d) whether the program provides credit for years of service rendered

by a participant preceding the adoption of the supplemental service

award program and the estimated cost of providing such credit.

7. Upon approval of the proposition, the supplemental award program

shall be deemed adopted by the political subdivision in accordance with

the terms of the resolution adopted by the governing board. The

supplemental award program shall take effect January first next

succeeding the date at which the proposition was approved.

8. Once a supplemental award program has been adopted, participation

therein by the sponsor may be terminated, or the benefits under the

program may be changed 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.

9. Payments under the supplemental program, if adopted, shall not

impair any rights of the participants under the volunteer firefighters'

benefit law or volunteer ambulance workers' benefit law or any other

law.