Combined, Dunkirk and Fredonia school and municipal budgets total more than $105 million. In all that cash, however, no funding can be found for school resource officers.

What a shame.

While the situations in the village and city are not the same, they do involve some head scratching. Dunkirk schools previously paid more than $100,000 to the city to have an officer in the school. Due to less revenue from the lack of repowering from NRG, the city district decided to cut the position.

Interestingly, however, that when the school cut the position it had no impact whatsoever on the city police force. It maintains its full staffing at around 36 employees.

No one was laid off and no position went unfilled. The officer is only no longer in the school.

Fredonia’s tug-of-war over the officer began under a different village administration. Since then, the district and village cannot come together on any solution.

“We only charge them the cost of the part-time officer, even though they’re reaping all the benefits of a full-time, highly trained police officer at their disposal within the confines of the school building – which I think is a marriage made in heaven – at $40,000,” said village Police Chief Bradley Meyers. “And I think everybody, myself included, feels strongly that the taxpayers of the village of Fredonia shouldn’t have to burden the cost of that extra $10,000.”

All entities involved – the schools and municipalities – continue to blame the other for the situation, especially in Fredonia. But when it comes down to it, $145,000 – or 0.1 percent – in budgets that total more than $105 million cannot be found to fund two positions most residents believe are important.

It is one more example of your tax dollars not at work.