Township of Long Beach, NJ Chapter 109 Length of Service Awards Program

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Long Beach 5-19-2006 by Ord. No. 06-14C. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 109-1 Program established; general provisions.

A. A LOSAP is herewith created in accordance with Chapter 388 of the Laws of 1997 (N.J.S.A. 40A:14-183 et seq.), to reward the eligible members of the Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Ship Bottom, and Harvey Cedars Volunteer Fire Companies, the Surf City Volunteer Fire and EMS, and the Barnegat Light and Beach Haven Volunteer First Aid Squads for their loyal, diligent and devoted services to the residents of the Township of Long Beach.

B. The LOSAP shall provide for fixed annual contributions to a deferred income account for each volunteer member that is certified to have met the eligibility criteria set forth in the existing point systems adopted by Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, Beach Haven, and Surf City; that such contributions shall be made in accordance with and administered by existing plans that have been established in Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Ship Bottom, Harvey Cedar, and Surf City pursuant to P.L. 1997 c.388 (N.J.S.A. 40A:14-183 et seq.), as shall be provided by interlocal agreements between each of those municipalities and the Township of Long Beach; and that such plan shall be administered in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey, the United States Internal Revenue Code, and this chapter.

C. The Barnegat Light Volunteer Fire Company services within its response district all of Barnegat Light as well as a portion of the Township of Long Beach.

D. The Barnegat Light Volunteer First Aid Squad services within its response district all of Barnegat Light and Harvey Cedars, as those municipalities have established an interlocal agreement, as well as a portion of the Township of Long Beach.

E. The Beach Haven Volunteer Fire Company services within its response district all of Beach Haven as well as a portion of the Township of Long Beach.

F. The Beach Haven First Aid Squad services Beach Haven and Ship Bottom, as those municipalities have established an interlocal agreement, as well as the Township of Long Beach.

G. The Ship Bottom Volunteer Fire Company services within its response district all of Ship Bottom as well as a portion of the Township of Long Beach.

H. The High Point (Harvey Cedars) Volunteer Fire Company services within its response district all of Harvey Cedars as well as a portion of the Township of Long Beach.

I. The Surf City Volunteer Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service services within its response district all of Surf City as well as a portion of the Township of Long Beach.

J. The single Township-wide LOSAP shall adopt the existing point systems, which detail the necessary activity requirements in order for volunteers to be certified as eligible for the annual per member deferred income account contributions, of Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Beach Haven, and Ship Bottom (each requires a minimum of 50 points, per member per calendar year, be attained in order for individual volunteers to be certified as eligible each year), as detailed in the respective ordinances adopted by those municipalities, which shall be available for public inspection and on display in the Township of Long Beach's Municipal Complex and the Long Beach Island Branch of the Ocean County Library until the day after the referendum on the issue in November 2006.

K. The Township of Long Beach shall provide annual contributions per eligible member to the existing LOSAP programs in Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Beach Haven, and Ship Bottom, not to exceed a statutory maximum contribution to each eligible member of $1,150, calculating the contributions from each aforesaid municipality and the Township of Long Beach together, to be negotiated and implemented by and through interlocal agreements entered into by the Mayor and Board of Commissioners of the Township of Long Beach and the neighboring municipalities.

§ 109-2 Authority to negotiate agreements.

The Mayor of the Township of Long Beach shall negotiate interlocal agreements with Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, and Surf City in accordance with and pursuant to the law in order to adopt the point systems of those municipalities and establish the legally required administrative responsibilities for a single Township-wide LOSAP for the Township of Long Beach for the members of the Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, High Point (Harvey Cedars), and Ship Bottom volunteer fire companies, as well as the Surf City Fire and EMS, Barnegat Light First Aid Squad, and Beach Haven Volunteer First Aid Squad. Those interlocal agreements shall be reviewed and, if deemed appropriate and acceptable, adopted by resolution by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Long Beach.

§ 109-3 Rates set.

A. The Township of Long Beach's annual contribution for each qualifying active member of the Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom volunteer fire companies, Surf City Fire and EMS, Barnegat Light First Aid, and Beach Haven First Aid shall be set at the following rates:

(1) Barnegat Light Volunteer Fire Company:

(a) Existing contribution by Barnegat Light: $708 per eligible member.

(b) Contribution by the Township of Long Beach: $442 per eligible member.

(c) Total contribution per eligible member: $1,150.

(2) Barnegat Light First Aid Squad.

(a) Existing contribution by Barnegat Light: $314 per eligible member.

(b) Existing contribution by Harvey Cedars: $310 per eligible member.

(c) Contribution by the Township of Long Beach: $526 per eligible member.

(d) Total contribution per eligible member: $1,150.

(3) Beach Haven Fire Company No. 1.

(a) Existing contribution by Beach Haven: $398 per eligible member.

(b) Contribution by the Township of Long Beach: $752 per eligible member.

(c) Total contribution per eligible member: $1,150.

(4) Beach Haven Volunteer First Aid Squad.

(a) Existing contribution by Beach Haven: $255 per eligible member.

(b) Existing contribution by Ship Bottom: $213 per eligible member.

(c) Contribution by the Township of Long Beach: $682 per eligible member.

(d) Total contribution per eligible member: $1,150.

(5) High Point Volunteer Fire Company (Harvey Cedars).

(a) Existing contribution by Harvey Cedars: $620 per eligible member.

(b) Contribution by the Township of Long Beach: $530 per eligible member.

(c) Total contribution per eligible member: $1,150.

(6) Ship Bottom Volunteer Fire Company.

(a) Ship Bottom contribution: $587 per eligible member.

(b) Contribution by the Township of Long Beach: $563 per eligible member.

(c) Total contribution per eligible member: $1,150.

(7) Surf City Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 and EMS.

(a) Surf City contribution: $1,024 per eligible member.

(b) Contribution by the Township of Long Beach: $126 per eligible member.

(c) Total contribution per eligible member: $1,150.

B. The estimated yearly cost of the single Township-wide program has been calculated as $93,825 for regular annual service and is based upon the above per-eligible-member contributions by the Township of Long Beach and upon the following 2005 certified number of eligible members of Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, and Surf City LOSAPs:

(1) Barnegat Light Volunteer Fire Company: 24 eligible members.

(2) Barnegat Light First Aid Squad: 19 eligible members.

(3) Beach Haven Fire Company No. 1: 40 eligible members.

(4) Beach Haven Volunteer First Aid Squad: 22 eligible members.

(5) Ship Bottom Volunteer Fire Company: 17 eligible members.

(6) High Point (Harvey Cedars) Volunteer Fire Company: 26 eligible members.

(7) Surf City Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 and EMS: 38 eligible members.

§ 109-4 Township's rights.

The Township of Long Beach shall retain all legal rights, dominion, control, and powers over all decisions of whether to increase the Township of Long Beach's contributions and funding to the single Township-wide LOSAP pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-185 and all other applicable statutory and administrative code provisions and same shall be reflected and included in all interlocal agreements entered into between the Township of Long Beach and Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, Beach Haven, and Surf City.

§ 109-5 Repealer.

All ordinances or parts of ordinances inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.

§ 109-6 Severability.

If any word, phrase, clause, section or provision of this chapter shall be found by any Court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable, illegal or unconstitutional, such word, phrase, clause, section or provision shall be severable from the balance of the ordinance and the remainder of the ordinance shall remain in full force and effect.

§ 109-7 Referendum required.

The provisions of this chapter, adopting a single Township-wide LOSAP, shall not take effect unless it is ratified by the voters as a public question at the next general election in November 2006.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance was approved by the voters 11-6-2006.

§ 109-8 When effective.

This chapter, providing for a single Township-wide LOSAP, although legally adopted if passed by referendum of the voters of the Township of Long Beach at the next general election in November 2006, shall not be legally effective until the adoption and ratification by resolution of interlocal agreements by each municipality: Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Beach Haven, Ship Bottom, Surf City and the Township of Long Beach.

§ 109-9 Referendum question.

The following referendum question shall be submitted to the voters of the Township of Long Beach at the November 6, 2006, general election:

Shall the Township of Long Beach be authorized to establish a single Township-wide LOSAP for the volunteer fire company members of Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Ship Bottom, Harvey Cedars (High Point), and Surf City, and the volunteer emergency medical service members of Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, and Surf City that serve the Township of Long Beach, pursuant to the following terms and conditions:

1.	The program shall provide for annual contributions to a deferred income account for each active volunteer member that is certified as having met the eligibility criteria in accordance with the point systems adopted by Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Ship Bottom, Harvey Cedars, and Surf City.
2.	The proposed annual contribution for an active volunteer member that is certified as having met the eligibility criteria in accordance with the point systems adopted by Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Ship Bottom, Harvey Cedars, and Surf City shall be set at a range of a minimum of $126 per eligible member and a maximum of $752 per eligible member depending upon already existing annual contributions made by those municipalities to eligible volunteers and each active volunteer member so certified as having met the eligibility criteria shall receive the statutory maximum contribution of $1,150 total when calculating the contributions from each municipality and those of the Township of Long Beach and the administration of the LOSAP shall be in accordance with and set by interlocal agreements with each of those municipalities.
3.	The estimated yearly cost of the single Township-wide program for the Township of Long Beach has been calculated at $93,825 for regular annual service.
	YES _____________    NO _____________

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

The Township of Long Beach desires to sponsor a Length of Service Awards Program ("LOSAP") in accordance with State law for the active members of the volunteer fire and volunteer first aid/emergency medical service organizations located in Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, and Surf City that serve the Township of Long Beach. The awards program would consist of an annual contribution to a deferred compensation program for all certified, qualifying members. Members of those volunteer fire companies and first aid squads would earn points for organization-related activities, and they would qualify for the annual contribution upon being certified as earning 50 points per year. Details of the point systems are available for public view in the Township of Long Beach and are posted in the Township of Long Beach Municipal Complex and the Long Beach Island Branch of the Ocean County Library. The proposed maximum annual contribution for each qualifying active member of the Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, High Point (Harvey Cedars), Ship Bottom volunteer fire companies, Surf City Fire and EMS, Barnegat Light First Aid, and Beach Haven First Aid shall be set at a range of a minimum of $126 per eligible member and a maximum of $752 per eligible member, depending upon already existing annual contributions made by those municipalities to certified eligible volunteers, and each active volunteer member so certified as having met the eligibility criteria shall receive the statutory maximum contribution of $1,150 total when calculating the contributions from each municipality and those of the Township of Long Beach and the administration of the LOSAP shall be in accordance with and set by interlocal agreements with each of those municipalities and adopted by resolution of the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Long Beach. The proposed estimated total amount to be budgeted for the single Township-wide LOSAP is $93,825 and is based upon the number of volunteers in Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, and Surf City qualifying and certified as eligible for compensation for the calendar year 2005.