Following much discussion and two votes, the Brockport Village Board approved a measure to allow its police chief to investigate the installation of a voice mail system within the department.

The proposed voice mail system would cost $4,950 to install, Police Chief Dan Varrenti told board members at the May 5 meeting. The system would be installed by the telecommunications company which originally installed the village's phone system, Varrenti explained.

Trustee Norman Knapp questioned the price of the system and said the company "could have the village over a barrel." Knapp said, "We have their phones and might need their system, this could come back to bite us."

Trustee Mort Wexler wondered whether the purchase was a necessary expense. "This is discretionary spending," he said. "Do we truly need this now?"

The installation of a phone voice mail system, Mayor Josephine Matella explained, was part of the 911 rollover plan. "To have our police department operate effectively, they need this system," she said. "I don't believe the chief would be requesting it if it wasn't necessary."

Varrenti explained that if someone calls the department and no one is in the office the phone will just ring, unanswered. "We could either have it ring off the hook or we could have the caller have the option of going to voice mail," he said. "911 isn't there to be an answering service, they are there for emergencies."

Matella explained that Varrenti was within his rights as a department head to purchase the system without prior approval.

Brockport is one of the only police departments in Monroe County that does not have a voice mail system, Varrenti said.

As part of the discussions when the village decided to go to a 911 system for dispatching, the committee that was researching that option deemed the installation of a voice mail system for the police department a necessary expense, Trustee James Whipple said.

With the May 31 closing of the village's communication department drawing near, Varrenti said a decision needed to be made on the voice mail system. "I don't care if we use tin cans and a string but I'm looking out for the safety of the residents," he said.

Following a second vote it was decided, three to two, that the department should be allowed to move forward with the voice mail installation system. Knapp and Wexler cast the no votes on the resolution.