Yates County residents pressed lawmakers for a new accounting of federal detainees and the proposed public safety facility during a Public Safety Committee meeting earlier this month, arguing that the county should test a smaller jail and renovation before committing to a larger building.
Sheriff Frank Ryan disputed one premise of that argument: He said no one in his office had told the press that the county wanted to hire more staff to take in more incarcerated people. The office was operating at a certain staffing level and intended to stay there, Ryan said, while correcting a speaker’s use of “customers” to describe people in custody.
Residents challenge the cost model
Dick Barney presented his analysis of jail population and expenses. Using an approximately $3.9 million annual operating figure and an assumed average population of 32, he calculated a cost of about $334 per person per day. He said a federal reimbursement of roughly $110 per detainee per day did not cover what he considered the fully allocated cost of housing those detainees.
Barney argued that calculating only food, laundry and utility expenses for an additional person ignores costs that can rise as the federal population grows, particularly staffing. He estimated federal detainees accounted for about 40% of people in custody in his reviewed period and urged the county to consider reducing that population to zero or one, renovating the current jail and building only a smaller 35-person facility if needed. His proposed $20 million to $30 million cost and debt comparisons were estimates in his presentation, not a county-approved project budget or finding.
The charts attached to the minutes show a changing jail population and the mix of local and federal detainees, but do not by themselves establish the long-term savings Barney projected. The sheriff’s July report listed an average jail population of 36.81, including averages of 13.97 federal and 4.32 other boarded-in detainees, with four people boarded out. The figures describe a particular month and do not resolve the broader capacity or construction question.
Jack Ossent said he wanted an itemized public accounting of approximately $422,000 spent on the proposed facility. He questioned proceeding without a completed needs assessment or secured land option. The Public Works Committee minutes from the preceding day separately reported $422,522 spent so far, with officials awaiting a construction estimate from Pike and information from potential property owners. Neither committee made a final facility decision in these minutes.
District attorney reports conviction and staffing need
District Attorney Todd Casella reported that a jury convicted Ronald Chilson of a Class A-II felony predatory sexual assault charge following a trial with three prosecution witnesses. Casella said sentencing was expected in October before Justice Cook and that Chilson faced up to 25 years to life in prison. The minutes do not supply a sentencing date or the complete case record.
Casella said the office had filled one assistant district attorney position but needed to fill another after an employee gave notice. He reported monthly case counts of 41 in March, 43 in May and 42 each in June and July, above what he described as a usual range from the high 20s to mid-30s. He said DWI cases may have contributed to the increase, without presenting a breakdown establishing the cause.
Probation Director Alyssa Palmer reported 29 ignition-interlock devices ordered and nine installed. She said some people under a DWI-related conditional discharge no longer owned or operated a vehicle on which to install a device. Palmer also said a probation violation does not automatically mean a return to jail; possible responses can include treatment, added conditions, drug court, community service or a conditional discharge.
Emergency services and sheriff operations
Emergency services officials said the design for a training facility was complete and the committee requested a presentation on the project. David Dowdle said eight people had applied for a developing water-rescue team, while an EMS study still awaited data from several municipalities before the report could be assembled.
Dowdle said a new ambulance was ready but awaiting a state sticker before regular service. His July EMS report counted 47 calls: 30 in Dundee, 16 in Keuka Park and one under Medic62/PSB. The committee also heard that officials had met with Dundee’s fire chief about EMS concerns and planned further work on them.
Ryan’s sheriff report listed three corrections vacancies. He said the dispatch center had one resignation and had been reaccredited for April 2026 through April 2031. Public-safety communications staff were negotiating a Motorola service agreement and expected savings of about $20,000, according to the minutes; the county later authorized the service contract at its legislative meeting.
The committee sent proposals on an animal-abuser registry hearing, a Dundee school resource officer agreement and other sheriff matters toward the full Legislature without formal objection. The Legislature subsequently set the registry hearing for Oct. 13, but the Sept. 9 committee discussion itself did not enact that law or authorize construction of a new jail.
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