Local citizens group wants vote on police services

A group of Brockport residents interested in finding ways to lower their property taxes gathered October 3 to discuss their options and their plan of action.

About a dozen people met at the Sweden Town Courthouse to vent their frustrations at what they see as duplication of services and governmental waste of their taxpayer dollars. The group, led by Sharon Kehoe, calls themselves the Brockport Tax Reduction Group.

"We need to get going," Kehoe said. "There is a lot of stuff going on in this village that will impact us." The group, Kehoe said, hopes to convince village officials to put to a referendum the decision to disband the village’s police department.

Kehoe urged meeting attendees to contact Sheriff O’ Flynn if they had any questions regarding the Monroe County Sheriff’s ability to provide police protection to village residents. Issues about safety and response times by both sheriff and state troopers have been raised as one of the main issues for needing to keep Brockport’s police force intact.

Members of the tax reduction group say if the police department and the village’s dispatching system were eliminated it would result in a more than $1 million cost savings for taxpayers. "This isn’t about who is getting what as part of a paycheck or a contract," Kehoe said. "This is about the fact that we are paying too much for services that could be provided by Monroe County."

A petition is being circulated by committee members asking for residents’ signatures supporting a referendum. "The petition isn’t about whether you support dissolving the police, it’s just about being given the opportunity to cast our votes on what is going on … it’s a chance to have our voices be heard, whether for or against."

Donald Carey said that more than 90 percent of village residents instinctively call 911 right now when they have an emergency. "Not many people think to pick up the phone and dial 637-1011."

Residents are already paying for the 911 service as part of their monthly phone bills, Donovan Dunn pointed out. "911 is universal … it’s a nationwide number and most people don’t remember the local number."

Alan Bader told Kehoe he thought she "had a noble vision." He said the village needs to concentrate on economic development. "We don’t need to be strangled by this emotional issue," he said. "If you think of the tens of millions of dollars that have been spent on law enforcement rather than infrastructure … it’s mind boggling."

Bader said village officials should be concerning themselves with upgrading streets, sidewalks and eliminating duplication of services. "If we did away with police department and dispatchers then there would be money for the amenities."

Kehoe, and other members said they would be around, knocking on doors, asking for signatures on petitions to force a referendum to let taxpayers decide how their dollars should be spent. Individuals were urged to call O’ Flynn at 428-5780 with questions and concerns and were also urged to attend board meetings and let their voices be heard.