Hearty Yes to Benefit Bump

Sag Harbor Village voters gave a resounding yes Tuesday to an increase in the pension-like incentive program for members of the Sag Harbor Volunteer Ambulance Corps. The corps’s length of service awards program was given a boost in a 149-to-11 vote that also saw the re-election of two village board incumbents.

Known as LOSAP, the program provides volunteers, once they hit retirement age, with a financial incentive based on the number of years they have served. Under the new program, at the age of 65 volunteers will receive an amount equal to $20 per month for each year of service credit earned. Estimates showed the new plan would cost $105,000 for 2017, the year the program begins. Volunteers who pushed for the program said it would act as a retention and recruitment tool.

Robby Stein and James L. Larocca, who ran unopposed, will serve the next two years on the village board, thanks to the 129 voters who cast ballots for them. Mr. Larocca was elected for the first time, having been appointed to fill a vacancy last year. This is Mr. Stein’s third time getting elected to a full term. He also first joined the board by way of an appointment.