Talks between Cobleskill village officials and the policemen’s union are at a standstill.
And in what may be fallout from the six-month, non-productive talks, two officers—and maybe more––are leaving the Police Department.
A shorthanded force means the department will end nighttime patrols at 1am starting January 22.
“The whole village will be unmanned after 1am,” said Branden Collison, president of the Cobleskill Police Benevolent Association.
Police Chief Justin Manchester confirmed the unmanned shift.
“We just don’t have the bodies,” he said. “It’s a pretty sad state, but hopefully, it’s only temporary.”
Salaries are the sticking point in negotiations. Officer Collison maintains that Cobleskill PD salaries are almost 10 percent lower than those of deputies in the Schoharie County Sheriff’s Office––where at least two patrolmen are going.
A comparison of budget figures shows base salaries for Cobleskill patrolmen and Sheriff’s deputies are roughly similar.
However, Officer Collison pointed out that patrolmen would get credit for their Cobleskill service time when they move to the Sheriff’s Office, so their salaries could rise accordingly.
“They see greener pastures,” Officer Collison said, not blaming patrolmen for leaving, “and the village doesn’t want to compete.”
Gross salaries show higher amounts for patrolmen, but that’s caused by overtime and special-duty pay, Officer Collison said.
His base pay for 2022, for instance, was $56,549, but his gross pay was $90,338.
“I had more overtime than anyone could imagine,” he said. “It was hard time overtime.”
Mayor Becky Terk wouldn’t comment on the figures or the talks.
“It is so inappropriate [to negotiate in public],” she said. “We’re still in active negotiations.”
The village declared an impasse in those negotiations, and the two sides will go to mediation.
“That’s all I want––open discussion,” Officer Collison said. “I’ve been negotiating in good faith.”
He went public about the negotiations because he wanted residents to know how serious the manpower situation is.
To that end, Officer Collison wants supporters at the next village board meeting, Tuesday the 17th.
Negotiations started in July, and at one point, the village offered a two-percent raise for each of three years. But Sheriff’s deputies get a similar raise, “so that wouldn’t move us any closer,” Officer Collison said.
He countered with a 4.5-percent increase the first year and continuing talks over the next two years of the contract, but village officials didn’t agree.
Officer Collison said two patrolmen are leaving and two more are talking about it. Also, three more––including him––may retire this year, leaving the department well under its 13-officer force.
“If they all retire, it will be a huge loss for the department,” Officer Collison said.
“But there’s a lot of stress in the department, so I understand it.”