Sparta Board Delays LOSAP Hike Decision

The Sparta Township Council postponed a decision on the expansion of LOSAP members of the Sparta Ambulance Squad until April 23.

Mayor Gilbert Gibbs said council members wanted to study the data provided to them by the ambulance service. This is the second  such postponement since March

LOSAP, the Length of Service Award Program, is designed to provide a contribution to a retirement fund  for volunteer emergency service members such as ambulance squad members or firefighters.

The awards are based on active participation in the squad’s activities, and can range from $100 to $1,150 annually per qualified member.

Squad Capt. Robert Shurgard had presented the council with a list of members who served on various squad committees, saying that the committee work should be recognized as qualified time for LOSAP.

Shurgard said when Sparta authorized LOSAP for ambulance squad members it chose to only include time on service calls as the qualifying duty. Since that time, committee work,  and supporting local events like parades, race and football  games have become important parts of the squad’s activities and should be included, Shurgard said.

“There is more activity now,“ he said.

The additional LOSAP credits would only be given to active members, he said. Of the 76 members of the squads, about half are active.

He said if the council expands the qualifications, 21 members could reach the 100 percent level of award, and possibly five to 10 others would move to higher levels of qualifications. He said that some members reach the qualifying number of hours of service in two months.

The award in Sparta after three years of service reaches $1,000 annually, Shurgard said.

Councilman Jerry Murphy, who had sought more information on the squad’s  request, said, “If it needs to be modified, we’ll modify it.”