Holley considers disbanding police department

Holley considers disbanding police department

It's been an issue that's been on and off the table for many years and now residents can voice their opinions on whether the Village of Holley's police department stays or goes.

Two meetings, one at 11 a.m. Monday, October 29 at the fire hall on Thomas Street and one at 6:30 p.m. November 13 at the elementary school have been scheduled.

The department, which services the 1,800 residents that live in the one square mile the village encompasses costs about $190,000. That figure includes pay, benefits, equipment, insurance and retirement for the one full-time and eight part-time police officers. They work about 152 hours a week.

"If people vote to disband the department, I think safety in the village would suffer," Deputy Mayor Ross Gaylord said. The village would receive its coverage from state police and the Orleans County Sheriff. "Those departments cover a lot of ground. I'm not sure what the response time to Holley would be," he said.

Gaylord warns that residents "complain now about speeding, vandalism, drugs and more within the village. I'm afraid it would get worse if we didn't have our own police force," he said.

Residents have been pushing for a change so Gaylord said village officials scheduled the public hearing and the matter would likely go for a public vote - possibly in December. "The issue is too big for the five of us (board members) to make," he said.