FARMINGTON — Selectmen on Tuesday evening, March 12, took no action on local contributions to a state retirement program for part-time firefighters.

Selectman Stephan Bunker said the issue should have been revisited when the town meeting warrant was approved.

At the Feb. 7 special board meeting there was a discussion about LOSAP [Length of Service Award Program], a supplemental retirement program for firefighters funded through the federal government, the State of Maine, and municipalities, according to minutes provided from that meeting. The minutes note municipalities do not have to contribute.

“Firefighters enrolled will have an account that would gain points depending on what is contributed,” the minutes state. “It was created as an incentive to combat the issue of recruitment of volunteers. The program uses a point system that is a compilation of how long they participate, how many calls, trainings, and meetings they attend, which then indicate if they have met minimum participation.”

The state has $500,000 to distribute across those enrolled who made 30 points, the minutes state. All fire department employees will be enrolled, they continue.

According to a Maine government site on legislative history, in April of 2003, the Maine Fire Services Commission commissioned an actuarial study of the need for a Length of Service Award Program for the State of Maine. The study outlined the feasibility of a program for the State of Maine and gave some recommendations for the implementation of this retirement program for Firefighters in the State of Maine.

In the 127th legislative session which began in 2015, LOSAP was established at the state level, according to the site. “In the first legislative session under the 129th Legislature LD 1014 was submitted to fund the estimated $2.5 Million cost of the program,” it notes.

Governor Mills added $1.5 Million in funds [for the program] to her supplemental budget in January 2020 but because of COVID the funds were not appropriated, the site states. “Another bill was submitted to secure the $2.5 Million in funds to operate the program,” it continues. “In Governor Mills Budget for the 2021/2022 fiscal year she added $500,000 in seed money to start the program and another $1.5 Million in funds is now being added to the budget for the 2022/2023 fiscal year.”

Bunker gave two known options for funding the program locally: voters amend the fire department’s budget to include funds for it at the annual town meeting or Select Board vote to use money left over in that budget at the end of the year.

“I want to see a policy first, see how we are going to do it,” Chair Matthew Smith said. “If I am not mistaken we can retroactive any policy we put into effect in the future. We can always go back. We can still reward the people that need to be rewarded. I am really hesitant on putting a number on it right now.”

Selectman Joshua Bell appreciates the pay per call firefighters, had no issue with them signing up for the state portion. He wasn’t sure why the town should contribute and wasn’t in favor at this time.

“To me it is like we are crossing the line,” he said. “Why not just increase their wage? Why enter into some type of retirement plan that we are getting committed to for a long time and then it’s going to be a liability to the town?”

The town went to per diem to part-time and per diem and now basically full-time and a few per diem firefighters, he noted. He understands trying to retain firefighters but felt getting into retirement was more for full-time staff.

Selectman Dennis O’Neil wanted more information, particularly on the financial side. He saw the bookkeeping and keeping track of percentage of calls and training for each firefighter as being complicated.

“There is no continued obligation. It is not a traditional retirement plan, there is no ability for the employee to put into it,” Town Manager Erica LaCroix said. “The state portion is what is mandated. You can decide to fund it on a year to year basis.”

Towns make up their own policy on how to distribute those funds, that is the part needed to be developed, she noted. Farmington firefighters have been enrolled in the state program, she said.

Other part-time employees aren’t offered retirement or health benefits, LaCroix stated.

“There is the part that we need to encourage firefighters, having a call force,” she said. “Even with full-time departments we still ride on having a call force, making sure these jobs stay attractive. [The program] isn’t going to make anybody rich by any means.”

If the per call hourly rate were increased, it could cost more since the town pays taxes on that, LaCroix noted.

Selectman Byron Staples liked the program, appreciated the hard work going into making it happen. “I think it will be interesting to see how the dust settles with it over time as things work out,” he said.

Bunker was concerned with the message being sent to some firefighters. “You gave your full-time employees in last year’s budget a considerable increase in our contributions to let them go up to a higher retirement program,” he said. “Yet this year you are doing nothing for your per diem or part-time employees.”

Waiting until the end of the year to decide how much money to put into LOSAP wastes a whole year, Bunker noted.

Volunteerism in the fire service has decreased, in the last 10 years almost 50% of full-time firefighters around the state have been lost, he stressed.

LOSAP provides modest state contributions and possibly more generous town ones so firefighters today can have something to look forward to at the end of 20, 30, 40 or more years of service, Bunker stated.

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