By Tom Grace
Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin Jr. and James Powers, chairman of the Otsego County Board of Representatives, are locked in a battle over Otsego County's $114,755,638 tentative budget.
That spending plan, filed this week by Treasurer Myrna Thayne, calls for increasing the property tax levy by 11.11 percent.
It also provides for reducing the sheriff's workforce by three of 18 deputies and sergeants, and six of 45 corrections officers _ cuts that Devlin has called irresponsible.
To help make his case to the county board, Devlin asked state Police Troop C Major Kevin Molinari to write to Powers.
Molinari did so. In a letter dated Nov. 12, he wrote: ``It is imperative that you and other county board members are fully informed of the potential consequences of this proposal. The resources allocated to Troop `C' cannot safely compensate for any reduction in the full-time public service provided to county residents by the Otsego County Sheriff's Department.
"The New York State Police does not have the resources to adequately cover areas in which local patrols are reduced. In addition to providing police services to the seven counties which comprise Troop C', our limited resources are often called upon to police special events and natural disasters in other parts of the state away from their assigned areas. Consequently, we can not be relied up to replace the services currently provided by local agencies."
In an interview with The Daily Star, Molinari said state police do not favor police reductions in local police agencies that work with them.
After getting the letter, Powers called Molinari to discuss the issue.
``I'd just gone through a state police road check in Rockdale and they had six people working there,'' Powers said. ``I told the Major `you have a small army in Otsego County,' and he agreed with me.''
Molinari said he recalls Powers' comment, but he did not agree that he has a small army.
``We're in the process of a two-week, Buckle-up-New York, passenger-restraint campaign, and as a result of that, we dedicate additional personnel to traffic safety road checks, just to make sure people are wearing their seat belts,'' he said. "So I think that's what he went through."
Powers said that when he concluded the conversation, he believed Molinari understood the county's budget crunch and thought the sheriff was out of line by publicly lobbying for more resources.
Molinari told The Daily Star he said nothing to leave this impression.
Powers said Molinari told him the state of New York, like Otsego County, was dealing with budgetary problems, and that all agencies should try to do their best with limited resources.
Molinari said he didn't recall speaking those words, ``but that's a reasonable statement to make.''
Earlier this week, Powers characterized his call to Molinari as assurance the county would continue to be adequately policed, even if the sheriff's contingent of deputies is reduced by three.
Molinari said that if police forces are reduced, ``no one should expect the same level of service to continue.''
Thursday, Devlin criticized Powers for his earlier comments, writing: "I'm saddened that the chairman would involve the state police in this matter. The state police are our law enforcement partners who we work with hand-in-hand every day. I had a lengthy conversation with Major Molinari, the Troop C Commander, last week regarding these proposed cuts to the sheriffs law enforcement division. The major wrote a letter to Chairman Powers stating that the state police did not have the resources to replace the loss of three deputy sheriffs.''
On hearing Devlin's comments, Powers said, ``People cannot afford a big tax hike, and I think we have to get over the idea that this is business as usual.
``As it stands now, taxes are going up 11 percent, more than a lot of people can pay, and if we add more positions, they're going even higher,'' Powers said.
The tentative budget will be aired at a public hearing at the county courthouse in Cooperstown at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1. The next day, the board will discuss the budget to consider if it should be approved.
