Geneva City Council heard a series of proposals Wednesday night aimed at addressing public safety and community well-being, including recommendations to restore two police positions, add a mental health professional to the police department, and update city code to address aggressive panhandling.
During a presentation from the Police Budget Advisory Board, board chair Amara Dunn said the city’s police department is under-resourced and needs additional staff to meet community demands. The board, formed to increase transparency around police spending, recommended reinstating two eliminated positions to align staffing with a past state study that suggested Geneva should have 34 officers.
“Right now, we don’t have an officer available to handle narcotics investigations,” Dunn said. “This has implications for both community safety and engagement.”
The board also called on the city to pilot the addition of a mental health case manager to assist officers in responding to behavioral health emergencies. Dunn said Geneva’s current response tools—such as tablets that connect individuals to remote clinicians—are unreliable and offer limited support.
“If the tablet even works, the clinician can only assess whether a person meets the threshold for a mental health arrest,” Dunn said, adding that officers often spend hours on these calls, diverting resources from other duties.
City Manager Amie Hendrix confirmed the city is exploring grant opportunities to fund such a position. She also noted that better data may become available once Geneva and Ontario County transition to a new records management system.
Several councilors voiced support for exploring a pilot program, with Councilor Ken Camera suggesting alternative approaches like a comfort dog for schools instead of a full-service police canine, which was also floated during the presentation.
Latest on grants: City continues pursuing, securing funding
City Manager Hendrix also provided an update on the city’s grant activity, reporting that Geneva had secured over $1 million so far in 2025 and has more than $17 million in active applications. A notable success is a $1 million infrastructure grant from Ontario County, earmarked for the expansion of the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Hendrix said the expansion will help accommodate future housing growth and reduce the city’s debt burden.
Panhandling discussed: Ordinance possible?
Later in the meeting, Councilor Frank Petropoulos raised concerns about aggressive panhandling downtown, noting several recent incidents involving public urination and customer harassment. He suggested Geneva adopt a local ordinance to define and prohibit aggressive panhandling, similar to laws in Buffalo and Rochester.
Lieutenant Bob Bilowith of the Geneva Police Department explained that many behaviors associated with aggressive panhandling, such as harassment and disorderly conduct, are already addressed by existing state law. However, he acknowledged that without local code provisions, enforcement can be limited.
“We can arrest someone, but they’ll be released almost immediately,” Bilowith said, citing current state bail laws.
Some councilors raised concerns about the criminalization of homelessness. Councilor Laura Salamendra asked how many documented incidents had occurred and questioned assumptions about panhandlers’ motivations.
“Many people panhandle because they don’t have housing,” Salamendra said. “We have to approach this with compassion.”
Other action taken by Council
Council unanimously approved amendments to the evening’s agenda to include four additional resolutions, including funding for the proposed Resource Recovery Park and a general fund budget amendment.
The council also formally proclaimed April as Fair Housing Month and April 26 as Arbor Day. Geneva was again named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. A public giveaway of 100 tree saplings will be held that day at the Recreation Complex.
No votes were taken on the Police Budget Advisory Board’s recommendations or the panhandling discussion, but council is expected to revisit both topics in future meetings.
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