[Adopted 5-3-1999 by Ord. No. 8-99;
amended in its entirety 8-5-2002 by Ord. No. 31-2002]
A Length of Service Awards Program (LOSAP) is herewith created in accordance
with Chapter 388 of the Laws of 1997,[1] to reward members of the Readington Township Volunteer Fire and
Rescue Services for their loyal, diligent, and devoted services to the residents
of the Township of Readington.
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 40A:14-183 et seq.
The LOSAP shall provide for fixed annual contributions to a deferred-income
account for each volunteer member that meets the criteria set forth below;
that such contributions shall be made in accordance with a plan that shall
be established by the Township of Readington pursuant to P.L. 1997, c. 388;
and that such plan shall be administered in accordance with the laws of the
State of New Jersey, the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, and this article.
The LOSAP shall provide for annual contributions to each eligible member
that meets the criteria as follows:
A.
Any active volunteer member shall be eligible to participate
in the plan immediately upon his or her commencement of active emergency service
with the plan administrator.
B.
Termination of service.
(1)
Any participant who terminates service as active volunteer
member shall cease to participate hereunder. A former participant will become
a participant immediately upon returning to the service of the plan administrator
as an active volunteer member.
(2)
Any active volunteer member who terminates service with
the plan administrator, subsequently returns to service and again becomes
a participant shall be treated as a new participant for purposes of eligibility
unless said participant was fully vested pursuant to Section 8.1, as shown
in Schedule A, which is on file in the Township Clerk's office, prior
to his termination from service.
C.
The sponsoring agency shall be notified by the plan administrator
as to the active volunteer members who are initially eligible to participate
in the plan, and which active volunteer members are eligible on each January
1. In the event that any question arises as to the eligibility of any active
volunteer member, the decision of the sponsoring agency as to such active
volunteer member's eligibility shall be binding upon the plan administrator,
participants, beneficiaries and any and all other persons having an interest
hereunder, subject to judicial review pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:14-188f.
D.
The plan administrator shall have the right to require
any active volunteer member at the time of his becoming a participant, to
agree in writing to be bound by the terms, covenants and conditions of the
plan and accompanying trust. Each participant shall furnish to the plan administrator
all pertinent information required for the administration of the plan. The
plan administrator shall rely upon all such information as furnished.
[Amended 12-6-2004 by Ord. No. 39-2004; 6-18-2007
by Ord. No. 19-2007]
The estimated cost of the program has been calculated as follows:
A.
For regular annual services: $60,000 in 2007 and $80,000
in 2008.
Each active volunteer member shall be credited with points for volunteer
services provided to the volunteer fire company/first-aid organization in
accordance with the following schedule:
A.
A year of active emergency service shall be credited
under the plan for each plan year in which an active volunteer firefighter
or other emergency service volunteer of the Readington Township Fire and Rescue
Service accumulates at least 50 points. Points shall be granted in accordance
with the following system. Such system shall provide that points shall be
granted for the following activities and upon the approval of the plan administrator:
(1)
Training courses: 25 points maximum.
(2)
Drills: 20 points maximum; one point per drill (minimum
two-hour drill).
(4)
Elected or appointed position: 25 points maximum for
Category 1; 20 points maximum for Category 2.
(a)
Category 1.
[1]
"Elected or appointed position" means line officers,
Department or company officers and president, vice president, treasurer and
secretary.
[2]
To qualify for this category a person must have completed
a one-year term in an elected or appointed position. An active volunteer elected
to serve as a delegate to a firefighters convention shall also be eligible
to receive one point per meeting.
(b)
Category 2.
[1]
Key committees that control the primary business needs
of the organization will receive points as follows: 20 points per key committee,
to be given to the committee head (20 points) or divided among the committee
members (for example: in a committee consisting of four members, each one
would earn five points) as determined by the individual organization.
[2]
"Key committee" is one that is a standing committee from
year to year and is a viable business committee as demonstrated by possessing
significant actual spending authority, significant budgeted spending, or serving
for the business good of the organization and having responsibility for the
primary business needs of the organization.
[3]
The committees eligible to be key committees will be
determined by the individual organization on a yearly basis and approved by
the LOSAP Committee using the definition of "key committee" provided above.
[4]
An annual list of key committees will be submitted to
the sponsoring agency every January along with the list of eligible volunteer
members and shall be kept on file in the Municipal Clerk's office.
[5]
Although the names of some committees may be identical
in different organizations, it is recognized and understood that they may
have entirely different responsibilities.
(5)
Attendance at meetings: 20 points maximum; attendance
at any official meetings of the volunteer fire company: one point per meeting.
(a)
"Official meetings" are:
[1]
Monthly business meetings of the volunteer organization;
[2]
Special meetings of the entire volunteer organization
called by the president, chief or designee to resolve a particular issue;
or
[3]
Any meeting outside the volunteer organization where
a member represents or speaks for the organization.
(b)
Excluded from the above definition are committee meetings,
line officer or executive meetings which are internal to the organization.
(6)
Participation in Department responses: 25 points for
responding on the minimum number of calls as outlined below:
(a)
The following graded scale is based on actual response
to fire calls and does not include work credits:
|
Percentage of
Participation
|
Points Earned
| |
|---|---|---|
|
50%
|
25
| |
|
40%
|
20
| |
|
30%
|
15
| |
|
20%
|
10
| |
|
10%
|
5
|
(b)
The participation percentage is in no way tied to the
criteria for the state relief percentage or the individual fire company criteria
for active participation.
This article shall take effect immediately upon final adoption and publication
in the manner provided by law and upon filing with the Director of the Division
of Local Government Services.
