219-g. Funding. 1. The cost of a service award program shall be a charge against the sponsor. The governing board of the sponsor shall appropriate annually an amount equal to the estimated amount due the service award program during the fiscal year for which the appropriation is made. On or before May first, or such date as may be prescribed by rules and regulations promulgated by the state comptroller, the governing board, without prior submission of a claim, shall direct the chief fiscal officer of the sponsor to pay to the program administrator the amount due the program.
2. (a) Before or after a service award program is adopted for the volunteer ambulance workers of an ambulance company which contracts to provide service to one or more political subdivisions other than the prospective or actual sponsor of the program, the governing boards of the sponsor and one or more of such other political subdivisions may enter into agreements to apportion the cost of the program in any equitable manner between the sponsor and such other political subdivisions.
(b) No such agreement shall be entered into by a political subdivision other than the sponsor unless a resolution authorizing the agreement is approved by the affirmative vote of at least sixty percent of the governing board of the political subdivision and a proposition authorizing the agreement or amendment is approved at a referendum of the electors of the political subdivision.
(c) The proposition authorizing the agreement or amendment shall be submitted to referendum not less than thirty days and not more than ninety days after the governing board votes to authorize the agreement or amendment. Notice of the referendum shall be published at least once, not less than fourteen days prior to the date of the referendum, in the official newspaper of the political subdivision or, if the political subdivision does not have an official newspaper, in one or more newspapers having general circulation in the political subdivision.
(d) Any such agreement shall remain in effect until amended or terminated by resolution and submission of a proposition to referendum as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subdivision, but shall be suspended with respect to any such political subdivision which ceases to contract with the ambulance company or in the event the sponsor ceases to contract with the ambulance company.
(e) The amount to be paid by a political subdivision under any such contract shall be a charge against the political subdivision and shall be paid to the sponsor. The governing board of the sponsor shall apply the amount received under any such contract to reduce the amount that would otherwise be raised for the program from the sponsor.
Last modified: February 3, 2019