The Yates County Legislature rejected new bylaws for its Criminal Justice Coordinating Council on Sept. 14, while residents continued to challenge the county's proposed jail project and called for an independent assessment of its need.
The council measure drew nine yes votes and four no votes, but the meeting minutes record the motion as failed. The minutes do not explain why that tally was insufficient. The council proposal and public comments were among the most consequential items in a meeting that also set a hearing on a proposed animal abuser registry and approved several public-safety and infrastructure measures.
Jail proposal draws more scrutiny
The rejected bylaws would have given the 16-member Criminal Justice Coordinating Council a mandate to study the jail's needs and options for efficiency, as well as pretrial services, diversion programs, mental health and substance-use services, court access and other criminal justice issues. Final decisions about spending and contracts would have remained with the Legislature. The proposal called for at least six council meetings a year and four at-large citizen seats.
Legislators Harper, Button, Killen, Bronson, Paddock, MacKerchar, Jayne, Lawson and Chair Leslie Church voted yes. Willson, Purdy, Flynn and Holgate voted no. The minutes offer no discussion explaining the votes or a next step for the bylaws.
Residents pressed lawmakers over the cost and justification of a new jail in both public-comment periods. Dick Barney presented his calculation of the current jail's annual cost and average population. Jack Ossent questioned whether renovation or a regional arrangement could be less expensive and said an independent needs assessment should precede additional spending. Their cost comparisons and population figures were presented as residents' claims, not findings adopted by the county.
Allison Stewart brought petitions urging a halt to further spending on the project. Several residents read signers' names aloud. The petition language, as read at the meeting, called for an independent, unbiased needs assessment before more money is authorized or spent. Jim Brobreski also questioned construction-cost comparisons; Legislator Killen responded that costs in other states do not necessarily translate to New York because of differences including wages.
The meeting ended with lawmakers voting to enter executive session on proposed real estate and personnel matters, including a session that listed members of the Public Safety Facility Advisory Committee as attendees. The public minutes report no action on a jail site or construction plan after that session.
Animal registry hearing set for October
Lawmakers unanimously scheduled a public hearing for 1 p.m. Oct. 13 at 417 Liberty St. on a proposed local law establishing an animal abuser registry. Setting the hearing did not enact the law.
Under the proposal, adults convicted of specified animal-related offenses after the law takes effect would be required to register with the sheriff within five days. The registry period would be seven years after a first offense and life after a second. Registrants would have to update address information, provide an annual photograph and pay a $125 fee unless it is waived.
The proposal would restrict registrants from owning, possessing or living with companion animals, with exceptions described for farm and service animals. Shelters and pet dealers would have to check the registry before transfers. The draft sets penalties for registration, possession and transfer violations. Those provisions remain proposals subject to the hearing and further legislative action.
Contracts, staffing and community programs
The Legislature approved $121,542.44 a year for Motorola equipment repair and tower services under a contract running from June 2026 through May 2027. It also authorized a $30,000 Blue Voice artificial-intelligence policing tool agreement through December 2028, according to the resolutions. The county approved a Dundee school resource officer agreement for the 2026-27 school year, with the district reimbursing $78,479.35, and authorized filling a full-time deputy sheriff youth officer assignment for Dundee.
Lawmakers approved a range of Youth Bureau contracts for programs running from October 2026 through September 2027. Recipients listed in the resolution include local libraries, summer recreation programs, Safe Harbors of the Finger Lakes, Yates Community Center, the Saunders Finger Lakes Museum and youth sports organizations. The allocations are backed by state youth development, sports and education funding.
The county also authorized filling an assistant district attorney vacancy at an estimated annual cost of up to $146,055 including benefits. Other personnel actions covered a temporary part-time finance clerk and a cleaner position. Lawmakers adopted revised rules for voluntary unpaid leave, including additional review for repeated nonconsecutive requests, while preserving leave protected by law or labor agreements.
On infrastructure, legislators approved up to $10,500 more for inspection work on the Pre-emption Road bridge over Kashong Creek. They increased a Bellona drainage construction contract by $10,610.08 to $1,298,610.08 after additional work at a road depression, with Legislator Button abstaining. They also extended Torrey landfill leachate hauling through August 2027 at a revised rate of $154.28 per thousand gallons, supported a proposed conservation easement on the Henderson farm in Milo and Torrey, and accepted $34,539.90 in opioid-settlement funding for Community Services.
Yates Community Center representatives presented an expansion update. Their slides described plans for multipurpose courts, an indoor turf and training area, a walking track and community room, with a phased opening planned for early 2027. The presentation said a Lisk Morris Foundation challenge grant had provided $75,000 in August, with another $75,000 contingent on a matching raise by January, and that $685,000 remained to complete the first phase. Those fundraising and timeline figures came from the center's presentation, not a county appropriation.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.