The Town of Brookhaven released a special election notice on July 22 for a South Country Ambulance District referendum. The vote will occur at the South Country Ambulance building on 32 Seeley Street between 2 and 8 p.m.

The town board initially adopted the resolution to amend the district’s volunteer ambulance service award program for active volunteer ambulance members of the company on May 12 of this year. The amendment requires voter approval to lower the entitlement age from 65 to 60 years old for plan participants to commence receiving their monthly service award payments and increase the monthly service award payment from $20 to $30 for each year of credited service. The amendment is applicable to only those who earn at least one year of service credit for calendar years beginning on Jan. 1, 2023. The monthly payment increases will be effective as of Jan. 1 the following year in the additional service credit was earned.

The same exact amendments were proposed for the Medford Ambulance District, Mastic Ambulance District, East Moriches Ambulance District, Mastic Beach Ambulance District, and the Shirley Ambulance District.

The current annual cost of funding the district’s volunteer service award program is $29,000. If the amendment passes, the new cost of the program will increase in 2023 to $118,500 for current volunteers.