[Adopted 8-13-2019 by Ord. No. 3-2019]
The following words and phrases when used in this article shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
ACTIVE VOLUNTEER
A volunteer for a volunteer fire company or nonprofit emergency medical service agency listed under § 400-100C who has complied with, and is certified under, the Volunteer Service Credit Program.
ELIGIBILITY PERIOD
The timeframe when volunteers may earn credit under the Volunteer Service Credit Program.
EMERGENCY RESPONDER
A volunteer who responds to an emergency call with one of the entities listed under § 400-100C.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE CALL
Any emergency call to which a volunteer responds, including travel directly from and to a volunteer's home, place of business or other place where he/she shall have been when the call was received.
QUALIFIED REAL PROPERTY
A residential real property owned and occupied as the domicile of an active volunteer.
VOLUNTEER
A member of a volunteer fire company or a nonprofit emergency medical service agency.
A. 
Establishment. North Franklin Township hereby establishes a Volunteer Service Credit Program pursuant to the powers set forth in Act 172 of 2016.[1] The goal of the program is to encourage membership and service in the community's volunteer fire companies and nonprofit emergency medical service agencies.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 35 Pa.C.S.A. § 79A01 et seq..
B. 
Criteria. The Township shall establish, by resolution, the annual criteria that must be met to qualify for credits under the program based on the following:
(1) 
The number of emergency response calls to which a volunteer responds.
(2) 
The level of training and participation in formal training and drills for a volunteer.
(3) 
The total amount of time expended by a volunteer on administrative and other support agencies, including but not limited to:
(a) 
Fundraising.
(b) 
Providing facility or equipment maintenance.
(c) 
Financial bookkeeping.
(4) 
The involvement in other events or projects that aid the financial viability, emergency response or operational readiness of a volunteer fire company or a nonprofit emergency service agency.
(5) 
The total number of years the volunteer has served.
C. 
Eligible entities. The Volunteer Service Credit Program is available to residents of North Franklin Township who are volunteers of the following volunteer fire companies and nonprofit emergency medical service agencies that provide service to North Franklin Township.
(1) 
North Franklin Volunteer Fire Company.
D. 
Eligibility period. A volunteer must meet the minimum criteria, set by resolution under this section, during the eligibility period to qualify for the tax credits established under § 400-101.
(1) 
Beginning 2019, and each subsequent year thereafter, the eligibility period shall run from January 1 until November 30.
E. 
Recordkeeping. The Fire Chief of each volunteer fire company or the supervisor of the nonprofit emergency medical service agency listed under § 400-100 shall keep specific records of each volunteer's activities in a service log to establish credits under the Volunteer Service Credit Program. Service logs shall be subject to review by the Township, the State Fire Commissioner and the State Auditor General. The Chief, or Supervisor, shall annually transmit to North Franklin Township a notarized eligibility list of all volunteers that have met minimum criteria for the Volunteer Service Credit Program. The notarized eligibility list shall be transmitted to North Franklin Township no later than December 1 of each year. The Chief or Supervisor shall post the notarized eligibility list in an accessible area of the volunteer agency's facilities.
F. 
Application.
(1) 
Volunteers that have met the minimum criteria of the Volunteer Service Credit Program shall sign and submit an application for certification to their Chief or Supervisor. The Chief or Supervisor shall sign the application if the volunteer has met the minimum criteria of the Volunteer Service Credit Program, and forward it to the Township Secretary/Treasurer. Applications shall not be accepted by North Franklin Township after April 1 of each year.
(2) 
The Township Secretary/Treasurer shall review the applications for credit under the Volunteer Service Credit Program and shall cross reference them with the notarized eligibility list. The Township shall approve all applicants that are on the notarized eligibility list. All applicants approved by North Franklin Township shall be issued a tax credit certificate by the Township Secretary/Treasurer.
(3) 
North Franklin Township shall keep an official Tax Credit Register of all active volunteers that were issued tax credit certificates. The Township Secretary/Treasurer shall issue updates, as needed, of the official Tax Credit Register to the following:
(a) 
North Franklin Township.
(b) 
Chief of the volunteer fire company.
(c) 
Chief or Supervisor of the nonprofit emergency medical services agency.
(d) 
Tax officer for North Franklin Township Tax Collection District.
(4) 
Injured volunteers will be eligible according to the following:
(a) 
An emergency responder that is injured during an emergency response call may be eligible for future tax credits. The injury must have occurred while responding to, participating in, or returning from an emergency response call with one of the entities listed under § 400-100.
(b) 
An injured emergency responder shall provide documentation from a licensed physician with the application required under § 400-100 stating that their injury prevents them from performing duties to qualify as an active volunteer. In such a case, the injured emergency responder shall be deemed an active volunteer for that tax year.
(c) 
An injured emergency responder shall annually submit the application required under § 400-100, along with updated documentation from a licensed physician stating that injury still exists and prevents them from qualifying as an active volunteer. The injured emergency responder shall again be deemed an active volunteer for that tax year. An injured emergency responder shall only be deemed an active volunteer for a maximum of five consecutive tax years.
A. 
Each active volunteer who has been certified under North Franklin Volunteer Service Credit Program shall be eligible to receive a real property tax credit of 20% of the municipal tax liability on qualified real property. If the tax is paid in the penalty period, the tax credit shall only apply to the base tax year liability.
B. 
An active volunteer with a tax credit certificate may file a claim for the tax credit on their qualified real property tax liability for the municipality's real estate tax levy. The tax credit shall be administered as a refund by the Township Secretary/Treasurer. An active volunteer shall file the following with the Township Secretary/Treasurer.
(1) 
A true and correct receipt from the Municipal Real Estate Tax Collector of the paid municipal real property taxes for the tax year which the claim is being filed.
(2) 
The tax credit certificate.
(3) 
Photo identification.
(4) 
Documentation that the tax paid was for qualified real property as defined in this article.
C. 
If the active volunteer provides all documents required under this subsection, the Township Secretary/Treasurer shall issue the tax refund to the active volunteer.
D. 
The Township Secretary/Treasurer shall reject the claim for a municipal real property tax credit if the taxpayer fails to provide the documents required under this subsection.
E. 
If the Township Secretary/Treasurer rejects the claim, the taxpayer shall be notified in writing of the decision. The notice shall include the reasons for the rejection and provide the method of appealing the decision pursuant to § 400-102.
F. 
Taxpayers shall have 30 days to appeal the decision of the Township Secretary/Treasurer.
Any taxpayer aggrieved by a decision under § 400-101 shall have a right to appeal said decision. A taxpayer shall have 30 days to appeal a decision or rejection of claim. All appeals under this section shall follow the provisions of 2 Pa.C.S.A. Chapter 7, Subchapter B (relating to judicial review of local agency action), also known as the "Local Agency Law."
In the event that any provision, section, sentence, clause, or part of this article is held to be invalid, such invalidity shall not affect or impair any remaining provision, section, sentence, clause or part of the article, it being the intent of North Franklin Township that such remainder shall be and shall remain in full force and effect and for this purpose the provisions of this article are hereby declared to be severable.