Brockport residents voice concerns
at impending budget woes

Concerns over rising taxes are causing people to leave the village, resident Connie Castaneda said at the October 7 Brockport Village Board meeting. "I’m asking the board to consider taking serious cuts to get the budget into reality," she said during the public comment session. "If you don’t do this, I’m afraid the exodus will continue."

Many people in the village blame the cost of the police department and the village’s dispatching services with the increase in taxes. They say the $1.4 million it costs to run the department is the reason for the 17 percent rate hike taxpayers saw in their bills this year.

Village officials have put together a committee to research savings and the effect the closure of the village’s dispatch system would have on residents. "I’ve (estimated the cost of) four different proposals regarding the dispatch issue," Trustee Morton Wexler said. "There is no solution that will help everybody."

The four proposals included: keeping dispatch as it is; have police dispatch go through Monroe County 911; have the fire department remain dispatched through Brockport; or going completely to 911 services through Monroe County.

Trustee James Whipple, chairman of the committee, said there is one more meeting scheduled and that will hopefully let officials come to some conclusion. "This is not an easy task," he said. "We’re gathering the information and will make our recommendations soon."

Linda Borrayo addressed board members and asked them to put the issue of the dissolution of the dispatch and/or police departments to a vote by the people. "We need to resolve this controversy," she said. "We ask you to trust the sound judgment of the residents of this village."

Borrayo said putting the issue of what to do with the police department to a vote is the only way to ensure that everyone is counted. "You need to let the people decide how their tax dollars should be spent," she said. "We need to reduce duplication of services."

Many residents have questioned board members on "why Brockport is so special that it needs its own police force." Resident Carol Black, who has lived in Brockport for 35 years, said that Brockport is a special place. "I know we are in a budget crunch and I have no ideas on where to cut … it’s got to be a burdensome job," she said. "We’ve had the fire and police department here at our beck and call for years … they are there when you need them."

John Bruegger pointed out that Brockport is unique in the fact that the village has an influx of more than 9,000 students each year. "I would hazard a guess that the students are the cause of most of our problems," he said. "It’s single families that made Brockport the home community that it is – that’s who we need to cater to."

Bruegger implored village officials to keep the police and the dispatch departments. "To cut those services would be like trying to drive a car without a steering wheel," he said. "It’s my family’s safety that would be at stake."