Seeing the long-term savings in Silver Creek
Seeing the long-term savings in Silver Creek
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For the second year in a row, the village of Silver Creek has made its disdain known for its contract with Hanover and Chautauqua County Sheriff's Department. Village Mayor Kathy Tampio says the 50-50 split with the town for the more than $632,000 agreement is unfair.
During a meeting this month, Tampio said two-thirds of the responses from the Sheriff’s Office are in the Town of Hanover, not the village. She further stated the Silver Creek population served by the Sheriff’s patrol is approximately 2,600 residents, while the town population - including the village in its total - is roughly 6,800, which increases in the summer due to tourism.
All good points, but in the end the village is still saving money. When it eliminated its Police Department in 2016, it made the right choice. Its cost this year may be more than $316,000, but it would have been a much greater expense to have maintained its own department. Officers are not just paid a salary, they also receive health and retirement benefits. In addition, there are vehicles to purchase and repair.
Silver Creek may think it is on the wrong end of this deal. However, whatever it is paying today is a lot less than the cost of maintaining an unneeded village operation.