Brookhaven Town ambulance district approves pension plan changes for its volunteers
Voters in Brookhaven's Tri-Harbor Ambulance District voted Tuesday on pension plan changes. Credit: Google Maps
Voters in a Brookhaven Town ambulance district on Tuesday approved changes to a pension plan for its volunteers — one year after an election on the same issue failed to yield a single vote.
The Tri-Harbor Ambulance District referendum passed, 45-4, with one ballot voided, Town Clerk Kevin LaValle said Wednesday. The voided ballot was thrown out because the voter checked both the "yes" and "no" boxes, LaValle said.
Dean Marshall, president of Tri-Harbor's board of directors, said it was a relief to see voters turn out this year after none did so last year.
“I was just glad that people made an appearance and actually showed up and we’re not in the doghouse because people didn’t show up,” he said Wednesday.
Tri-Harbor, also known as Port Jefferson EMS, covers a North Shore area that includes Port Jefferson, Belle Terre and Mount Sinai.
The changes approved Tuesday include lowering the retirement age from 65 to 60 and boosting monthly pension payments by 50%, from $20 to $30 for each year of service.
Marshall said Tri-Harbor has about 200 staff, including 10 volunteers who would be eligible for the pension program, known as the Length of Service Award Program, or LOSAP, if they volunteer for at least five years.
The company also has about 20 paid employees and 150 student workers who receive education credits for working at the ambulance district. The paid workers and students are not eligible for LOSAP, Marshall said.
LaValle said 50 people voted in this year's referendum — 50 more than voted in the election last summer, when no one cast a ballot.
Town officials at the time speculated that the vote was poorly advertised by ambulance district officials.
Marshall said Tri-Harbor officials asked for a revote after last year's election. He blamed the lack of turnout last year on "miscommunication" about whether people needed to vote on the measure.
“For whatever reason, last year it didn’t happen,” Marshall said. “Fifty [votes] for a little local ... election was as good as we could expect.”
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
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