[Adopted 2-17-2005 by L.L. No. 2-2005 (Ch. 17B of the 1972 Code)]
The Village Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of
Malverne, as authorized by Article 11-AAA of the New York State General
Municipal Law, directs that there shall be a public referendum of
eligible voters of the Incorporated Village of Malverne on March 15,
2005, to determine whether such service award program shall be established
effective January 1, 2005.
The type of program shall be a "defined benefit plan" as described
in Article 11-AAA.
Under the proposed service award program, Malverne Volunteer
Ambulance Corps, Inc. active members shall have the opportunity to
earn pension-like and pre- "entitlement age" death and disability
benefits. The pension-like benefit shall be a lifetime monthly payment
"service award," with payments beginning upon attainment of age 65,
the "entitlement age." The monthly benefit payment service award shall
be equal to $15 ($180 per annum) for each year of service award program
service credit earned. When an eligible participating volunteer ambulance
worker dies before monthly service award payments have effectively
commenced, a death benefit shall be payable to the volunteer ambulance
worker's designated beneficiary (or estate if no beneficiary
is designated). The death benefit shall be actuarially equivalent
to the volunteer ambulance worker's earned service award and
shall be based on his or her earned service credit at the time of
death. When a volunteer ambulance worker shall become totally and
permanently disabled before service award payments effectively commence,
a disability benefit shall be payable. The disability benefit shall
be actuarially equivalent to the volunteer ambulance worker's
earned service award based on his or her earned service credit at
the time of application for payment of the disability benefit.
A year of service award program service credit shall be earned
by an active member of the Malverne Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc.
for each calendar year after 2004 during which a participating volunteer
ambulance worker earns at least 50 "points" for participating in volunteer
ambulance worker activities under the rules set forth in the attached
written service award program "point system." Such point system shall be in accordance with Article
11-AAA of the New York State General Municipal Law.
Up to five years of service credit may be earned under the point
system by a participating volunteer ambulance worker for service prior
to 2005 and after 1999. To be eligible to earn credit for such service,
a volunteer must become a program participant in accordance with the
applicable provisions of Article 11-AAA.
Should a participant continue to be an active member of the
Malverne Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc. after attaining age 65 and
having begun to be paid monthly service award payments, he or she
shall continue to have the opportunity to earn service credit under
the point system. The additional monthly payments service award earned
during a calendar year after the calendar year of attainment of the
entitlement age shall commence to be paid as of January in the next
succeeding calendar year.
In accordance with Article 11-AAA of the General Municipal Law,
the Incorporated Village of Malverne shall be the "sponsor" and the
New York State Comptroller, or his designee(s), shall be the administrator(s)
of the Incorporated Village of Malverne Volunteer Ambulance Worker
Service Award Program.
The total 2005 annual cost, payable in 2006, of funding the
Incorporated Village of Malverne's Volunteer Ambulance Workers
Service Award Program benefits is estimated to be about $35,000 or
about 1,500 per ambulance worker, including the cost of administration.
The estimated annual cost to administer the program payable by the
Incorporated Village of Malverne is about $2,500. The total annual
cost for current ambulance workers is expected to decrease by about
$14,000 after five years, when the cost of service awards earned for
volunteer ambulance service before 2005 shall be fully paid.
The cost of service awards earned for volunteer ambulance service
before 2005 shall be scheduled to be paid by the Incorporated Village
of Malverne in five consecutive annual payments of $14,000, or the
equivalent thereof, with the first payment to be made during calendar
year 2006.
All provisions of the Incorporated Village of Malverne Volunteer
Ambulance Worker Service Award Program shall be in accordance with
this article and with Article 11-AAA of the General Municipal Law,
as amended from time to time, as well as with the applicable rules
and regulations for volunteer ambulance worker service award programs
promulgated by the New York State Comptroller.