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Joint custody

Silver Creek and Hanover save with police contract

Submitted Photo. The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office provides police coverage for the town of Hanover and the village of Silver Creek, with enhanced coverage in Sunset and Hanford bays in the summer and in downtown Silver Creek during the Festival of Grapes and the Fourth of July fireworks.

HANOVER — Who wouldn’t want to spend less and still get what they needed?

For the last couple of years, the town of Hanover and the village of Silver Creek have teamed up for a joint police coverage contract with the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office. According to officials, the agreement is still a win-win.

VILLAGE POLICE OUT

The idea took root a few years ago, when the village of Silver Creek decided to eliminate its police department.

“Tom Harmon and I brought this (idea) to the board back in 2013,” Silver Creek Trustee Warren Kelly, who works with other village and town officials on the agreement, remembered. “We had one (village board) meeting and it went into effect, and I haven’t had one complaint logged that (a resident was) unhappy with our decision.”

The Silver Creek Police Department has been inactive since 2013. The village is now covered by the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office.

Kelly said the decision was “purely financial,” and one of the hardest decisions he can remember in the village government’s history. The village force was made up of good, hard-working officers, and no one wanted to see them go. However, the village couldn’t really afford to keep them on, either.

“The biggest issue was the cost of benefits,” Kelly explained. “They were outrageous.”

But, he said, despite the fears of village residents, things have worked out just fine.

“After we showed the savings (of cutting the village police department), nobody said a word to us. They were still getting 24/7 police coverage.”

The village had paid $556,305 in 2012 for it’s own police force. During the transition period in 2013, it paid $370,425 for Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office coverage, and made a final payment to the last village police chief for the total of $158,434, which, as Kelly said, was for benefits. Even that year, the village saved $27,446, which isn’t chump change.

The Silver Creek Police Department has been inactive since 2013. The village is now covered by the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office.

TOWN JUMPS IN

Then, Kelly said, the village saved even more money by teaming up with the town and cutting down to one car for all of Hanover in the winter months, when there isn’t a lot of activity.

“For (the winter of 2015-2016), we went down to one car for the whole town,” he said. “We signed a contract with Hanover (for police protection), and got rid of the (sheriff’s patrol) car sitting in the village. There weren’t a lot of events; not many tickets were getting written.”

And, he said, Hanover saved money, too, by working together with the village.

“When the town got rid of its own police years ago, they got their protection (through the sheriff’s office), but had to use full-time deputies,” Kelly said. “Now, the town pays (Silver Creek), and Silver Creek pays the sheriff’s office; the village is the supplier of police protection for the town. The new contract allows us to use part-timers, and that saves money.”

Bernard Feldmann Jr., Hanover trustee, noted that the new contract does not violate the sheriff’s office’s labor agreements, and that sharing police protection with Silver Creek just made sense, especially in the winter.

“Since everyone is looking for cost-cutting measures, it’s really unnecessary (in the winter) to have one car in the town and one car in the village, sitting a mile away,” he reasoned. “The town contracted with the sheriff’s department for years; but now, (by going through) the village, we’re saving a lot of money.”

SAVINGS ADD UP

How much money is everyone saving? Well, the village has saved a total of about $280,000 since it began its relationship with the sheriff’s office; the town of Hanover has saved about $148,742 since signing on through the village two years ago. Elmar Kiefer, budget officer for the town of Hanover, said that the municipalities have both saved even more than that, likely.

“We’ve also both saved whatever increases our (separate) rates may have seen, had we not signed a joint contract,” he said. “Rates usually go up.”

The last payment from the town to the sheriff’s office, before the joint contract was signed, was $352,035.

Today’s numbers are much different. The current agreement, which has been signed by both the village and town for the calendar year of 2017, has each municipality paying a total of $275,295, plus their separate coverage agreements. Again, the town pays the village for its half, and the village makes payments to the sheriff’s office.

SEPARATE NEEDS

COVERED

There was only one little issue with this plan, and it was quickly settled, said Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace.

“There were potential complications with each of the municipalities running independently, but we felt that it would be advantageous to work in collaboration,” said Gerace. “All of that was solved with adding (police coverage) shifts where they’re needed.”

For example, Sunset Bay, and to a lesser extent, Hanford Bay, need more attention in the warmer months than in the colder months. Tourists and visitors flood the beaches in the summer, and though many of them are perfect guests, others need a little more supervision. Therefore, the town pays for additional police coverage during that time period, when a dedicated squad car covers Hanover and the regular car covers Silver Creek.

Similarly, the village needs extra coverage during the Festival of Grapes and for the fireworks show in July.

“We reduce shifts in the winter months, and the (agreements) for the bays and the festivals is very workable,” said Gerace. “Both part-timers and full-timers are used to cover those (added) shifts, and those may be (deputies) that would (see to) other duties in the winter, like DWI crackdowns, prisoner transport, court protection, and other (happenings) around the county. (The sheriff’s office) has to be an entity that’s flexible and prepared to cover these events.”

Gerace said he was always in favor of the municipalities sharing police protection, and that it works for everyone, including his office.

“From our end it is a win-win situation. They were able to save money, and we are still providing 24-hour coverage for the two entities year-round,” he said.

Currently, those extra shifts will cost the village less than $2,000, and the town less than $8,000, for which both municipalities will be billed directly by the sheriff’s office.

“Those (additional shifts) are separate from the joint coverage contract,” said Kiefer. “(The totals billed) are based on hours and rates.”

ONWARD

TOGETHER

With the success of the shared police services contract still fresh in their minds (and in their bank accounts), town and village officials are looking toward other cost-saving partnerships, as well. Most recently, they have discussed sharing a municipal building, if grant money can be obtained; and Hanover Councilman Louis Pelletter is researching the possibilities of a Hanover-wide youth recreation program, especially now that the village of Forestville has dissolved. Hanover Highway Superintendent Steve D’Angelo has recently joined the village’s streets team, too, and Silver Creek Mayor Nick Piccolo said he “couldn’t be happier” with how that’s going. The two boards frequently meet up to share ideas, and with the lines of communication wide open, it’s more than likely that Hanover and Silver Creek will find more ways to get together, get it done, and save money doing it.

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