November, 2009
Kent councilman seeks Putnam funding if police hurt on ERT
Submitted by JohnB on Tue, 11/24/2009 - 10:52am Kent councilman seeks Putnam funding if police hurt on ERT
Michael Risinit
mrisinit@lohud.com
CARMEL — Police officers injured in the line of duty can receive their full pay from their employer while they recover — a cost Putnam County should bear, a Kent councilman says, if a Kent member of the county’s Emergency Response Team is injured on a county call.
The state’s 207c law allows injured law enforcement personnel to receive their salary and benefits for as long as it’s determined they can’t work or until retirement.
Kent Councilman Michael Tierney is worried about the cost to the town, should a Kent officer be injured on an ERT call, and whether its officers can continue participating under the current arrangement.
"Everyone has to be aware of what our exposure is. In this economy, we’re looking at everything," he said.
The team consists of eight Putnam County Sheriff’s Office members, 10 Carmel police officers, five Kent police officers and two members of the county’s Emergency Services Bureau. It was formed in 2005 and, Carmel Police Chief Michael Johnson said, "responds to incidents that can stress the capabilities of the individual respective patrol forces." Examples include calls for barricaded or armed suspects, he said.
Tierney met last month with the county Legislature’s Protective Services Committee about the matter and the Kent Town Board is to discuss the issue at its Dec. 7 meeting.
The legislative committee will revisit the issue at its meeting Monday.
Committee Chairwoman Mary Ellen Odell, R-Carmel, and Legislator Richard Othmer Jr., R-Kent, said legislators are waiting for an opinion from the county law department.
"But it looks like we may be successful deputizing them, in keeping them under the county," Odell said, referring to times when the officers are on an ERT call.
Much of the team’s training and equipment cost is covered by annual Homeland Security grants, although in 2010 only half of the grant — which is $109,500 this year— can go to reimbursing the agencies for overtime and filling the regular-duty slots of officers away on training.
Previously, there were no limits on applying the money. Tierney said he also had concerns about more of these costs coming to rest on Kent.
Lt. Alex DiVernieri of the Kent police said the department "applaud(ed)" Tierney’s efforts to reduce Kent’s costs.
"Bottom line, the members of the Kent Police Department that are on the Putnam County ERT are an integral part of providing safety to not only citizens of Kent but to the entire county," he said.
Through a spokesman, Sheriff Donald B. Smith acknowledged Tierney’s concerns and pointed out participation with the ERT benefits both the county team as well as the individual department.
"The participation of each of the law enforcement agencies in the ERT is voluntary and requires the approval of the governmental leadership of each respective municipality," sheriff’s spokesman Capt. William McNamara said.
Johnson, the Carmel police chief, said he wasn’t seeking to have the county cover his officers’ 207c costs but would ask for any of the same protections afforded Kent.
The full link to the article is here: http://www.lohud.com/article/20091123/NEWS04/911230318/1205/NEWS0408/Kent-councilman-seeks-Putnam-funding-if-police-hurt-on-ERT
Term of office extension - Supervisor
Submitted by cnarbey on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 3:09pmWell, there was a smashing rejection of this proposal by the 3,009 voters (about 40% of those eligible to vote) who bothered to get their fat fannies out the door to vote!
Over 75% of voters said "NO" to the proposition.
So much for all of the (phantom) constituents that the 4 Republican Town Board members claimed had been bugging them for the increase in the Supervisor term of office!
Sadly, about 60% of eligible voters did not care enough to exercise their franchise. I am for sanctions against those who don't vote.
Public Sector compensation in New York State
Submitted by cnarbey on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 3:06pmThis presentation by the Westchester County Association is worth a read:
Carmel Central School District's "Community Open Forum"
Submitted by DavidE on Tue, 11/10/2009 - 7:04pmAs KFW members have discussed many times, the biggest slice of local taxes, by far, goes to fund the Carmel Central School District. I note that on the District's web site is a newly posted invitation to the annual Community Open Forum at which the Board of Education and the Superintendent "would like to get your feedback on several priority areas including Curriculum and Instruction, Communications, Budget and Finance, and Facilities and Transportation. Your input is valuable in assisting us in our planning, especially as we begin to prepare our 2010-2011 budget." The District will hold the forum on December 8 at 8:00 PM at the George Fischer Middle school. If you'd like to go, you have to register before December 2.
Sadly, the invitation fails to say what, if anything, will be done with the input the forum generates, and some of my cynical friends who have been to previous editions of this event claim its sole purpose is to let the District fill in a check box on some state form without having to lie about it. Still, it is a forum to talk to those who spend the bulk of our local taxes about what they're doing with all that money. And maybe the cynics have it all wrong. We can only hope so.
The 2009-2010 budget for the school district is here. The fiscal accountability supplement to the New York State School Report Card is here. And there's lots more on the District's budget page. So let 'em know you're coming, read up on where your money's going, and ask questions.
