Cobleskill village officials are looking into having the Schoharie County Sheriff’s Office take over police duties in the village.
If it happens, the move would be accomplished by having the current Cobleskill Police officers become deputies in the Sheriff’s Office, assuming village voters approve the plan in the November election.
Mayor Mark Nadeau and Deputy Mayor Mark Galasso unveiled the proposal in a meeting Thursday with Cobleskill Partnership Inc., the downtown improvement group.
Mr. Galasso said the idea is to save money. The Cobleskill 12-man Police Department costs $1.2 million annually; preliminary figures from the Sheriff’s Office indicate their cost to the village would be $850,000, Mayor Nadeau said.
“We’ve done just enough to say yes, it’s worth looking into,” Mayor Nadeau said.
Both men said the village would contract with the Sheriff’s Office for 24/7 coverage. A deputies’ sub-station would remain in Cobleskill, and the village would have the same coverage it has now, they said.
The proposal has three goals, according to Mr. Galasso:
•Save money and at the same time provide full coverage.
•The plan can’t cost the county money.
•And it can’t negatively affect the officers in the Cobleskill Police Department when––and if––they shift to the Sheriff’s Office.
Mayor Nadeau said the two men developed the proposal while reviewing the village budget. Much of the current police overtime comes when officers are covering county events, such as parades and the Sunshine Fair, in Cobleskill.
Savings to the village would come in not having a chief or office secretary and reductions in the cost of benefits and retirement, Mayor Nadeau said.
He and Mr. Galasso have been meeting with Undersheriff Ron Stevens. The village would sign a five-year contract with the county, Mayor Nadeau said.
“The Sheriff’s Office is engaged and intrigued by this,” Mayor Nadeau said.
A spokesman from the Sheriff’s Office confirmed the meetings.
The timeline would have the proposal fleshed out by September so there’s time for voters to learn more about it before the election.
Mayor Nadeau and Mr. Galasso are assembling a committee that would include Mr. Galasso, another village trustee, Undersheriff Stevens, Sheriff Tony Desmond, a representative from the Police Department, a village resident and a member of CPI.
Mayor Nadeau said the proposal was to be made public at last night’s village board meeting. After that, there will be regular updates at every village board meeting.
“On paper, it looks good, $1.2 million versus $850,000, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Mayor Nadeau said.