(A) Establishment. Monroe Township hereby establishes a Volunteer Service Credit Program. The goal of the program is to encourage membership and service in the community’s volunteer fire companies and nonprofit emergency medical service agencies.
(B) Program criteria. The Monroe Township Board of Supervisors 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 services, including but not limited to:
(a) Fundraising;
(b) Providing facility or equipment maintenance; and
(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 medical 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 the Township of Monroe who are volunteers of the following volunteer fire companies and nonprofit emergency medical service agencies that provide service to Monroe Township:
(1) Hummels Warf Fire Company;
(2) Shamokin Dam Fire Company;
(3) Kratzerville Volunteer Fire Company; and
(4) DH & L 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 § 32.097. The eligibility period shall run from January 1 until December 31 of a particular year.
(E) Recordkeeping. The chief of each volunteer fire company or the supervisor of the nonprofit emergency medical service agency listed under § 32.096(C) 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 Monroe Township Board of Supervisors, the State Fire Commissioner and the State Auditor General. The chief, or supervisor, shall annually transmit to the Township of Monroe a notarized eligibility list of all volunteers that have met the minimum criteria for the Volunteer Service Credit Program. The notarized eligibility list shall be transmitted to the Township of Monroe no later than February 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. 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 the Township after April 1 of each year.
(G) Municipal review. 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 Board of Supervisors shall approve all applicants that are on the notarized eligibility list. All applicants approved by the shall be issued a tax credit certificate by the Township Secretary/Treasurer.
(H) Official tax credit register. Monroe 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:
(1) Board of Supervisors;
(2) Chief of the volunteer fire company(ies);
(3) Chief or supervisor of the nonprofit emergency medical services agency(ies); and
(4) Tax officer for the Township Tax Collection District.
(I) Injured volunteers.
(1) 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 § 32.096(C).
(2) An injured emergency responder shall provide documentation from a licensed physician with the application required under this section 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.
(3) An injured emergency responder shall annually submit the application required under this section, along with updated documentation from a licensed physician stating that the 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.
(Ord. 2022-1, passed 7-26-2022)