The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office will continue to provide enhanced coverage for the village of Silver Creek and the town of Hanover, but at a decreased level.

During this week’s county Legislature meeting, lawmakers unanimously adopted a resolution for the Sheriff’s Office to provide enhanced police coverage from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 at a cost of $427,064.

No comments were made during the legislature meeting. However, during the Audit and Control Committee meeting last week, Sheriff James Quattrone told committee members that previously they had a contract with Silver Creek; now that contract is with Hanover. When the contract was with Silver Creek, the Sheriff’s Office provided one additional patrol car year-round and a second patrol car in the summer. Now there will be just the one additional patrol car.

There will be the opportunity for a second car on select summer days.

Quattrone said they have been negotiating this contract since last summer. “Previously, the county had a considerable loss in providing the services, and we’ve been negotiating with the village and the town to come up with a solution that each side could agree,” he said.

In unrelated business, the legislature authorized an agreement with the Silver Creek Central School District to continue to provide a school resource officer in the 2021-22 school year. That agreement is for $97,938.

Silver Creek is one of the few schools that still has a school resource officer through the Sheriff’s Office. Many county schools have had to either cut them or get an officer from their local municipal police department.

Since the school budgets have passed, Quattrone said Brocton has approached his office to inquire about bringing an officer back in the school, but so far that is the only district that has expressed any interest.