Voters to decide on firefighters’ pensions
— Photo from Voorheesville Village Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page
Rallying for a cause: After the Harvest Dance in October, Voorheesville Volunteer Fire Department members pose with a large check, showing they are donating $2,000 to the American Cancer Society for breast cancer research. An election on Dec. 9 will determine if their pensions are raised to match those of Voorheesville ambulance volunteers.
VOORHEESVILLE — Village voters will go to the polls Dec. 9 to decide if pensions will be raised for their volunteer firefighters.
The Length of Service Award Program, referred to as LOSAP, credits money for each year in which a volunteer first responder earns 50 or more points under the Village of Voorheesville Volunteer Firefighter Service Award Program Points System. The amount currently credited to firefighters each year is $480. The money is not awarded until the firefighter reaches the eligibility age of 62.
The amount of LOSAP credited would be increased over a two-year period, in order to raise it to match the $700 per calendar year that has been credited since 2005 to Voorheesville volunteer ambulance workers.
A “yes” vote in the upcoming election would raise the amount credited to $590 per qualifying firefighter for the calendar year 2016, and to $700 for the calendar year 2017.
Because of the state tax freeze, villagers will not see their taxes rise over the next few years as a result of the LOSAP increase, according to Village Clerk-Treasurer Linda Pasquali. She added that budget adjustments would need to cover the additional costs.
Fire Chief William Reddy said of the proposed increase, “It’s a good thing. It retains firefighters. I think we’re the only fire company that has that low amount of LOSAP.”
Election hours will be from noon to 9 p.m. at the village firehouse.
An amendment to the Service Award Point System is also being presented as a second question on the ballot. According to Reddy, the changes that the amendment would bring are small matters of needed changes in wording, and nothing substantive. The new system would be “basically the same as the old point system,” he said.
The chief said that there are currently 64 firefighters on the roster. “But not all of them would get LOSAP,” he said. “It would probably vary every year, depending on how many of them got enough points.”
Reddy added that the fire department works hard for the village. He pointed to the Harvest Dance in October as an example. “The guys really worked hard on that,” he said; with the help of all who attended and the many sponsors from among village businesses, the fire department was able to donate $2,000 to the American Cancer Society for breast cancer research.
