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One way or another, the Town of Le Roy is not expecting to spend $40,000 in 2019 to support Le Roy Ambulance, according to Supervisor Steve Barbeau.

Barbeau presented his tentative 2019 budget to the town council at Thursday's meeting and then discussed the future of the Le Roy Ambulance after the meeting.

Barbeau said based on his discussion with representatives of the ambulance service, Le Roy Ambulance has reached a point financially where it either needs the tax support of a special district or the nonprofit corporation must be dissolved.

If the proposed budget doesn't change before approved, Le Roy residents would find their town property tax rate reduced by a nickel, from 90 cents to 85. The total levy would be $206,248.

In all, Le Roy, excluding special districts, will need $1,427,441 to operate in 2019.

The proposed budget includes raises for non-union staff of varying amounts depending on which department the staff serves. 

Town board members will be able to start going through more detail at its Sept. 27 meeting.

Some adjustments may be necessary because since Barbeau prepared the tentative budget, he's received new information, including a reduction in workers' compensation insurance costs, a reduction in  STOP-DWI money transferred from the state to the town's justice department, and a $5,000 expense for the town to work with the county on a records archive project.

Ambulance Service
As for the ambulance service, a public meeting planned for next week has been canceled because the attorney for the ambulance service has had some health issues. It hasn't been rescheduled yet but the attorneys are working on finding a new date.

At the meeting, the public will learn about the options for the ambulance service and about the prospect of setting up a special district.

After that meeting takes place, Barbeau would like to conduct a straw poll of residents. It would be a non-binding vote held at the Town Hall. Like a school budget election, all residents at least 18 years old would be eligible to cast votes.

The results, Barbeau said, could help the Town and the Village decide whether to support a special district for the ambulance service. If the vote was lopsided one way or another, officials could gauge whether voters would likely support a special district. A close vote would make the difficult decision even more difficult, Barbeau acknowledged.

Either the Town or the Village could approve the formation of a special district without a voter referendum. Residents could challenge any decision by either jurisdiction through a  petition (100 signatures required) for a public referendum to overturn the decision. 

In other words, if the Town board voted against the formation of a special district, through a petition drive, the decision could be challenged by voters. Or if the board agreed to form a district, that decision could be challenged as well.

The same goes for the Village.

Barbeau speculated that if only the Town supported a special district and the Village didn't, it wouldn't be financially feasible for the ambulance service to continue; however, the district could successfully form if approved by the Village but not the town.

Even with the $40,000 from the Town, Le Roy Ambulance has been losing money, Barbeau said. It's his understanding that a big issue for the service is patients' failure to pay their bills. He said last year, Le Roy Ambulance had $75,000 in uncollected fees.

A lot of people, Barbeau said, get their insurance check after an ambulance ride and instead of paying their ambulance bill say, "oh, Christmas in July" and pocket the money.

"I think by November of this year a decision needs to be made (about the future of the ambulance service)," Barbeau said, "because the $40,000 is not going to be in the budget for the ambulance. Imagine what their deficits are going to be without it. So they're either going to have to start taxing in 2019 or start exhausting the assets that they do have."

There is a complex process to wind down a nonprofit, Barbeau said, so without a special district, Le Roy Ambulance would begin that process in 2019 until it discontinued service.

Barbeau is seeking clarification from Mercy EMS on what level of service it will provide Le Roy if Le Roy Ambulance closes. Right now, there is an agreement that ensures Mercy EMS is the backup service for the Town and Village. 

If Le Roy Ambulance closes, Mercy EMS would by default become the primary ambulance service at no cost to the Town of Village.

Previously, Mercy officials have indicated they would consider making Le Roy their base of operations for the eastern part of the county if Le Roy Ambulance shut down. Barbeau would like to confirm that suggestion.

"The issue has always been, for the town board -- response time," Barbeau said. "Le Roy Ambulance has a response time that averages less than five minutes. If they're out on a call, Mercy comes from Batavia. They have a response time that's just shy of 20 minutes, and that comes from years' worth of data. So the rationale behind our subsidy has been to keep that response time for folks knowing we still have Mercy as a backup."

Barbeau praised both services. He's had experience with both. Ambulances were called twice to his late father's house. In the first instance, Le Roy took three minutes to respond. In the second, Le Roy wasn't available and Mercy EMS responded from Batavia, which took 18 minutes.

In that case, he said, it wasn't life or death but for a person suffering a heart attack or stroke, those 15 minutes could be critical.

County Sales Tax
During the meeting Thursday, Barbeau also discussed his understanding of a new proposal from the County on how to divvy up the local share of sale tax revenue.

Before getting into what Barbeau said, some background:

Currently, local consumers pay 8 percent sales tax on qualifying purchases. The state takes 4 percent and 4 percent is supposed to stay in Genesee County. 

The county could keep that 4 percent to itself but has traditionally shared the revenue with the other municipalities in the county. If the County didn't share with the City, the City of Batavia could institute its own sales tax. The villages and towns don't have that option.

Under the current formula, the County keeps half of the local 4-percent share, or 2 percent of the sales tax. The City gets 16 percent. The remaining 34 percent is divided among the towns and villages, using a formula derived from the assessed value of properties in each jurisdiction.

It's Barbeau's understanding based on his conversations with other officials, including County Manager Jay Gsell, that the County and City are set to enter into a new agreement that would keep the City's share in the 16 percent range, but that amount could fluctuate depending on the amount of sales tax revenue flowing into the county. It would never be less than 14 percent and the City couldn't receive more than a 2-percent share of anything over the prior year's amount of sales tax.

The villages and towns are not included in the agreement. Instead, they would each be asked to sign identical revenue distribution agreements.

All of the agreements would last for 40 years.

For the villages and towns, their share of sales tax revenue would be capped at the absolute dollar amount of 2018, but their share could go down if sales tax revenue goes down.

There would be no adjustments for inflation.

Barbeau said it's his understanding of the county's perspective on the agreement is based on three factors:

• The county is facing a state mandate to build a new, expensive jail. The bond on that jail will take 40 years to pay off.
• The new "Raise the Age" law, which mandates new rules for criminal cases involving 16- and 17-year-olds, will also increase County expenses. The State will reimburse the County for those additional expenses but only if the County keeps its property tax levy below the tax cap level of 2 percent per year.
• The County is also facing substantial infrastructure expenses, particularly for bridges and culverts.

The Town of Le Roy's anticipated share of sales tax revenue for 2019 is $722,000, or nearly 51 percent of the town's total revenue.

Elected representatives, including county officials, are expected to discuss the sales tax issue at the monthly Genesee Association of Municipalities (GAM) meeting Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. at County Building #2 on West Main Street Road in Batavia.

A report of a manure spill on Creek Road, Town of Batavia, in The Batavian on Wednesday incorrectly stated that the spill occurred in the area of Baskin Livestock, which is located at 9778 Creek Road.

The actual location of the spill was more than a mile away.

Bill Baskin, owner of Baskin Livestock, said none of his vehicles have been involved in a manure spill recently.

"And when they are," Baskin said, "we clean it up right away."

A Navajo twin-engine airplane successfully set down at the Gensee County Airport this afternoon after its landing gear would not deploy, according to County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens.

There were no injuries.

Hens said the plane landed on its belly.

The plane has been removed from the runway.

Yesterday and today, firefighters with City of Batavia Fire Department have been learning -- both through classroom instruction and hands-on practice -- how to rescue people in a collapsed-structure situation. The class includes working with tools to cut and break concrete, cut metal and cut wood.

The training has been at the fire hall and in the lot behind Falleti Ice Arena on Evans Street.

The trainers were from the State Department of Fire Prevention and Control, led by Jerry Mazurkiewicz.

Press release:

New York State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has announced today the approval of Smart School Investment Plans for three school districts in Genesee County, including $2,543,552 for high-tech security and school connectivity. The funding is part of the Smart Schools Bond Act.

“Our children have unlimited potential to succeed, but only if our school districts get their fair share of state dollars,” Ranzenhofer said. “This investment will turn that potential into reality by ensuring Batavia City, Le Roy and Pavilion schools get the best resources to foster student success in a global economy.”

High-tech security funding has been authorized in the amounts of $1,940,585 for Batavia City School District and $348,300 for Pavilion School District. Le Roy School District has been approved for $254,667 in school connectivity funding.

Schools can invest these funds in classroom technology, school connectivity, and high-tech security upgrades to better prepare students for success in the 21st century. 

“The Batavia City School District is going to use SSBA funds to install and upgrade high tech security to assure the safety and well-being of our students and staff in all buildings to assist in maintaining a safest possible learning environment. We are planning on installing new card readers, new door contacts, electronic door strikes, wireless locksets, fixed high-definition cameras, door closers, and motion detectors," said Batavia City School District Superintendent Christopher J. Dailey.

"These improvements will allow our focus to remain on student learning while creating a safe environment for our students and staff to work, learn and grow,” 

Pavilion Central School Superintendent Kenneth J. Ellison said “Pavilion Central Schools will use the recently approved Smart School Investment Plan funds to upgrade our video security system to provide a safe and secure learning environment. The existing system was installed many years ago has limited coverage and minimal storage capacity.

"Our goal is to upgrade our system and expand coverage in all areas. These funds will make it possible to cover all targeted areas on campus with a state of the art camera security system."

The Smart Schools Review Board is responsible for approval of the plan. In 2014, voters approved the $2 billion statewide school investment to finance educational technology and infrastructure.

Pistol has been missing from the Indian Falls Road area of Corfu since Tuesday.

He's a friendly pooch and greatly missed at home.

If you find him or know where he is, call Tom (585) 233-0095 or Danielle (585) 356-5592.

Press release:

The Genesee County Cornell Cooperative Extension Board of Directors has selected Christopher Crawford as their Executive Director to lead the 100-year-old organization.

Chris Crawford, Ph.D., MUP, is currently a Lead Science Advisor in New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bureau of Environmental Science and Engineering. As such Crawford works in the Bureau’s Building Water System Oversight program, which provides regulatory oversight of more than 5,000 cooling tower systems in New York City.

Prior to working in New York City, Crawford worked in a rural Upstate New York local health department providing technical assistance and regulatory oversight to more than 200 public water systems, while working to address technology and policy issues across the department. Crawford also spent time working in the U.S. Virgin Islands with the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Kingdom of Tonga.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, attended law school at SUNY at Buffalo, received a Master of Urban Planning from SUNY at Buffalo and a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts in Boston in Environmental, Coastal and Ocean Science.

Board President Colleen Flynn said “CCE of Genesee County enjoyed several years of exceptional leadership under Bev Mancuso and we greatly appreciate the assistance of Robin Travis as interim director following Bev’s retirement. We are looking forward to welcoming Dr. Christopher Crawford and his family to Genesee County. His education, experience and leadership style will complement the many talents of Extension's knowledgeable staff and dedicated volunteers.”

"I am looking forward to working with the people, organizations, and community of Genesee County as Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension's Genesee County office,” writes Crawford. “Looking back on my career and varied organizations I have worked with, I have seen the real-world differences that can be made when communities and universities come together.

"I'll strive to work closely with both the community and Cornell to identify vital issues, generate solutions and build the relationships necessary to ensure successful and sustainable implementation." 

Crawford will begin his role on Nov. 5th. For more information on Genesee County Cornell Cooperative Extension, please visit genesee.cce.cornell.edu.

The new City Schools property tax rate is not quite a zero-percent increase for 2018-19, but it's close.

Business Administrator Scott Rozanski told the board of trustees last night that property owners this year will be asked to pay $21.495880 per $1,000 of assessed value.

That's an increase of .00849 percent over, or not even percent, over the 2017-18 rate.

Last May, voters approved a tax levy of $18,945,404 but the district can't set the tax rate to achieve that levy until properties have their final assessed value for the year.

The rate increase isn't even two-tenths of a cent compared to last year and will amount to a 14-cent increase on homes assessed at $100,000.

For the fifth-straight year, homeowners in the district will be eligible for a STAR rebate.

The tax rate has decreased an average of 3.5 percent over the past two years.

Tax bills will be mailed out to residents by the end of September.

The GOP chairs in the NY-27 will apparently meet soon now that a way has been found to remove the name of Chris Collins from the ballot in the race for the NY-27 congressional seat.

Collins dropped out of the race after being arrested Aug. 3 for alleged insider trading. He is charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, and lying to the FBI.

Dick Siebert, the Genesee County chair for the GOP, said he can't disclose any details and that he doesn't even know all of the details.

"I received a call from a source in Erie County and was led to believe that we will get Collins' name off the ballot with the opportunity to replace him with another candidate," Siebert said.

Siebert doesn't know yet when the GOP chairs will meet to discuss this latest development or pick a replacement candidate.

Both the Democrats and the Reform Party have candidates in the race. Nate McMurray, the Democrat, has issued statements blasting the Republicans for any attempt to remove Collins from the ballot and Larry Piegza has issued statements arguing he is the logical pick for the GOP chairs since he's a Trump supporter. Piegza has expressed frustration that none of the GOP chairs will even return his calls.

There are at least eight people vying for the GOP selection, including Batavia's own Steve Hawley, whom Siebert said he favors.

Whatever scheme the Republicans use to remove Collins from the ballot, the Democrats have vowed to fight it in the courts.

A woman accused of driving drunk, fatally hitting an 18-year-old on Sumner Road in Darien, fleeing the scene, and not telling police about it later when she was arrested after nearly striking a Sheriff's patrol vehicle, was in court today with a pair of new, sharply dressed attorneys from Buffalo.

Frank LoTempio tried to convince Judge Charles Zambito, that his client, Jennifer L. Serrano, 48, of Charles Street, Irving, should get her bail reduced.

She was indicted by a grand jury this week on second-degree vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death, DWI, and aggravated unlicensed operation. She faces a prison term of up to 14 years.

She came into court shackled and in a tan Niagara County Jail jumpsuit, still in custody on $100,000 cash bail or $200,000 bond.

LoTempio argued that Serrano has strong local ties. He said she owns a home in Irving that is worth $115,000 and she has $30,000 equity in the property, that she owns her own business -- Jenny Marketing Group -- and has four significant clients, and that she has joint custody of her three children -- ages 12 through 21.

"She's very involved in their lives and she's a very good mother," LoTempio said.

While she has suffered from depression, LoTempio said he and co-attorney Jack Sanchez had met with her and felt she had no current mental health issues. He said her depression stemmed from her divorce a year and a half ago.

She also has no prior criminal record.

"I feel cash bail of $25,000 to $40,000 is reasonable," LoTempio said.

Zambito heard these same arguments the last time Serrano appeared in court but District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said he felt it necessary to address the counter-argument to LoTempio's assertions.

While Serrano claims to own a house in Irving, there's no proof of its value or her equity in it, and she says if she's out of jail, she's going to live with her sister in Amherst. Also, she claims to own a business but Friedman has seen no documentation to prove that she does. 

As for her children, "According to our investigation, we're told they are estranged from her," Friedman said.

He also said he doesn't believe her attorneys are qualified to assess her mental health. 

As for the crime itself, Friedman said, she's accused of killing Connor Lynskey, of Hinckley, on Sumner Road, on Aug. 11, and fleeing the scene. Lynskey's body landed in a ditch and he wasn't found until the following day. About 30 minutes later, Serrano's vehicle was stopped after she nearly struck a patrol vehicle on Route 77 and she was charged with DWI. Friedman said Serrano went through the arrest process, through court, through booking at the jail, and she never said a word to anybody that she might have struck a pedestrian. 

At that time, police didn't know Lynskey had been struck by a car but he had been reported missing.

As Friedman completed this narration of events, Lynskey's mother, sitting in the first row of the gallery with a box of tissues her hands, began to sob.

Friedman also pointed out that Serrano went back to her car after being released from custody and drove to Amherst. He said his office has reason to believe she was still intoxicated at that time and she certainly knew her driver's license had just been revoked but she drove anyway.

"I don't understand how defense counsel can say she is not a flight risk," Friedman said. "She's already fled. Now she's been indicted and has even more reason to flee."

Zambito, in denying her bail reduction, cited many of the reasons Friedman just shared -- she left the scene and she didn't notify law enforcement even while in custody, and that her flight risk was a "significant concern."

Serrano is due in court again at 1:30 p.m., Nov. 15, when attorneys will address any motions filed in the case.

Botts-Fiorito Post #576, American Legion, Le Roy, would like to announce with great pride and pleasure Robert Boyce as its selection for the 2018 “LeRoyan of the Year Award.”

Robert, or “Bob” as he is known to most, was born in Hamburg and graduated from Hamburg High School. Upon completion of high school, he joined the Army and served in Korea, after which he was honorably discharged. He then continued his education at The University of Buffalo.

Bob came to Le Roy with his family in 1968 to join the Ernest Townsend & Son Insurance Agency, now known as Tompkins Insurance Agencies. He and his wife, Beth, have three children, daughters Ann (Alan) Nordyke, and Tracey (Jim) Carter, and son David Boyce. They also have six grandchildren.

Bob immediately became active in the community by first joining the Le Roy Jaycees. Today, he continues service with the Le Roy Rotary Club, where he has been active for 45 years and served as president in 1975. The R.E.A. Milne Scholarship arm of the Rotary is of special interest to him.

He was president of the Genesee Community College Foundation for three years, was appointed a trustee of GCC by the Genesee County Legislature in 2014, and presently serves as vice-chairman on the Le Roy Republican Committee. Bob is also one of two trustees of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church.

Bob has also been a member of the board of the Le Roy Ambulance Service for 27 years and has been president for the past 13 years. One of his goals for the ambulance service is to make sure it continues to be a viable service in our community with quality pre-hospital care.

To honor Bob, the 50th annual LeRoyan of the Year Award Dinner will be held on Oct. 6. Social hour is at 6 p.m. with dinner served at 6:45 p.m., at the American Legion at 53 W. Main St., Le Roy.  Tickets are available at the American Legion or at Mickel’s Nickels at 80 Lake St. Le Roy. Cost is $25 per ticket.

Press release:

Join us on Saturday, Sept. 15th, at Alexander Fire Hall for lunch and a rally! Meet Nate McMurray and hear his inspirational message for New York's 27th Congressional District!

A year and a half ago, we drew an excited crowd of neighbors from across the 27th District who came together to stand up against Chris Collins. Since then, the energy has only increased. Many of us have met and been working for McMurray, and we're getting together again because we need your help and he needs to win. The 27th needs a representative who cares!

Fire hall event is 12-2 p.m.; canvassing happens afterward in various parts of the district. You can choose which part you'd like to canvass with a partner. One person can drive, one can knock doors, or you can knock doors together!

Lunch is provided by the Alexander Fire Department Auxiliary. It is $6/person and is chicken, tuna, or egg salad sandwich; macaroni salad; chips; cookie; pop or water. Alexander Fire Hall is located at 10708 Alexander Road, Attica.

Today Timothy Zipfel, a senior at Pavilion High School and a volunteer with the Pavilion Fire Department, donned his turnout gear and air tank today to walk 110 flights of stairs at the school in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on America.

Of course, Pavilion only has three flights of stairs, so Zipfel walked up three flights and then down three flights about 36 times to complete the 110 flights.

There were 110 flights of stairs in each of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.

The attack was 17 years ago and Zipfel is only 17 years old. He said the impact of the attack hit him when he was young when his parents told him about it and he determined then that he would do something to honor the victims.

This is the second year he's climbed the stairs.

"I believe that today is one of the days that no one in this great nation should ever forget," Zipfel said. "I feel like it should be honored."

Shawn Michael Walburn, 45, of East Main Street Road, Le Roy, is charged with: DWI; driving while ability impaired with alcohol; driving without a vehicle inspection; and speeding. Walburn was stopped at 3:07 a.m. Sunday on Main Road, Stafford, by Deputy Andrew Mullen.

Ryan Brent Callison, 41, of 14th Street, Zimmerman, Minn., is charged with: DWI; driving with a BAC of .08 or greater;and failure to yield right of way. Callison was stopped at 9:39 p.m. Monday on Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Howard Wilson.

Karen M. Gath, 57, of Rochester, is charged with conspiracy, 6th, and petit larceny. Gath was arrested by State Police and ordered held on bail for an incident in the Town of Batavia. No further details released.

Jacob R. Lorek, 24, of Rochester, is charged with two counts of unlawful possession of marijuana and speeding. Lorek was stopped by State Police at 6:04 p.m. Thursday on Route 19, Bergen.

Stevie R. Marshall-Carter, 20, of Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Marshall-Carter was stopped on Route 33, Bergen, by State Police.

Dale J. Wissinger, 38, of Oakfield, is charged with assault; 3rd; and criminal mischief. Wissinger was arrested by State Police on charges related to an incident reported at 1:47 a.m. Saturday and ordered held on bail. No further details released.

Press release:

Notre Dame High School is proud to announce that its 2018 Sports Hall of Fame Induction Program will be held on Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Notre Dame campus, 73 Union St., Batavia.

This Fall's program will begin with a social hour at 6 p.m. followed by a dinner and the alumni student-athlete and contributor recognition program to follow.

Inductees honored on Nov. 3 will include:

• John Francis, '66
• Mike Callahan, '67
• Mike Cordes, '76
• John Stisser, '80
• Sue [Burns] Keefe, '81
• Kathy Dwyer, '90
• Members of the 1973 ND Smith Division Co-Champion Football Team
• Rick Mancuso, '76 -- Inducted as a Coach
• Joe, '68, and Patty Jurewicz, '69, Flynn -- Inducted as Supporters

Tickets for the program will be $40/person and will be available through the ND Advancement Office.

Please contact ND Advancement coordinator Emily Patrick for more info at 343-2783, ext. 106, or Emily.Patrick@ndhsbatavia.com.

Individual inductee bios will appear in print closer to this Fall's program!

Press release:

O-AT-KA Milk Products, of Batavia, is proud to announce the completion of its recent 20,000- square-foot building expansion. The walls are up and the equipment is installed, but the most important piece – the people – is the final stage of the project.

The expansion, nicknamed Project Gator, is the third of its kind in the past six years and will boost O-AT-KA’s current workforce of 440 employees, as promised during the planning phase. Support from local municipalities, the Genesee County Economic Development Center and Empire State Development made the expansion a reality.

“I am so pleased to see a great hometown company like O-AT-KA continue to grow, thrive and add 40 new jobs to be filled by local residents," said Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia). "Our area is primed for growth and it makes us a stronger community to witness a commitment like this from a great homegrown company like O-AT-KA.

"New York’s agricultural industry is one of the best in the country and that is a testament to the dedicated and innovative farmers and dairy producers we have right here in Western New York. I wish O-AT-KA the best of luck and success moving forward.”

The expansion has significantly expanded O-AT-KA’s beverage capabilities and ability to meet growing customer demand. Production and packaging lines are currently undergoing thorough quality testing before full production starts early this fall.

“The work we do matters," said CEO Bill Schreiber. "We partner with our customers to create unique products while adding value to local milk. The ongoing efforts of our team have resulted in sustained growth and investment for the business, while supporting our dairy farmer owners and creating a rewarding work environment for our employees.

"New employees have an immediate opportunity to succeed and learn new skills. They also have the opportunity to grow as individuals and be part of a winning team.”

Hiring has begun, with the intention to fill 40 additional jobs immediately.

"We’ve grown by more than 150 team members since 2015. We plan to hire and train an additional 40 individuals," said Donna Maxwell, VP of Human Resources. “The work we do here serves our farmer-owners and supports local agriculture. We’re looking for people with a farmer’s work ethic; people who take pride in their work.

"As a premier employer in Western New York, we offer an outstanding compensation and benefits package along with the opportunity for career growth for those who desire it. Our Pay for Skill program allows employees who learn more to earn more. In fact, many of our employees – about 40 percent – commute from outside Genesee County because the employment package O-AT-KA has to offer -- pay, benefits and career opportunity -- just can’t be beat.”

Press release:

Nate McMurray, the Democratic and Working Families Party candidate for New York’s 27th Congressional District, released the following statement after Congressman Chris Collins broke his silence one month after suspending his campaign when he was indicted on charges of insider trading.

“Tonight voters heard from a man who has lost the public trust. Congressman Collins played the victim, has refused to resign from Congress and tonight expressed surprise that the rules do, in fact, apply to him.

“Mr. Collins admitted that this ballot bait and switch, ‘has never been done before’ and there’s a very clear reason: it’s undemocratic, it’s wrong, it’s insulting to voters, and it’s a joke. Most importantly, it’s illegal and will not stand. Our laws exist for a reason and party bosses don’t get to change them just because their candidate was indicted.

“The truth is that Mr. Collins is willing to be a sham candidate, willing to dupe voters by running for whatever position these kingmaking ‘powers that be’ can manipulate the easiest.

 “I’ve been crisscrossing the district and talking to the voters Mr. Collins pledged to represent and the truth is that they’re angry, they feel betrayed, and they don’t want to trust the system that knew about these allegations and propped up Mr. Collins anyway.”

In other NY-27 news, the deputy chief of staff for Collins, Michael Kracker, has resigned and taken a job with Unshackle Upstate as executive director.

A new arrangement this year between the Village of Le Roy and the Le Roy Central School District will ensure both Wolcott Street School and Le Roy MS/HS will have a nearly constant law enforcement presence.

The arrangement is possible with the retirement of Officer Eric Miller, who was the School Resource Officer at the high school, splitting some time with Wolcott, since 2003, and a change in state law that allows Miller to now become an employee of the district to perform the same duties, and the willingness of the Village to continue to partially fund an SRO position.

The state has created a classification of school employees known as "special patrol officers." These are former law enforcement officers who remain qualified to perform the duties of an officer.

In Miller's case, not only is he still qualified, he has returned to Le Roy PD as a part-time officer, which will help him maintain his qualifications.

While Miller is at the high school, Le Roy PD has assigned two part-time officers to rotate coverage, one week on, one week off, at the elementary school.

"I think when we looked at what the county proposed, though we were interested in that idea, we felt that getting coverage in both buildings was non-negotiable," said Superintendent Merritt Holly. "I think the setup that we have here provides us with the opportunity to have an armed police officer in this building and a special patrol officer in the other building, so it gives us now the coverage that we're looking for."

His SRO position was created in 2003 shortly after Columbine (the April 1999 high school massacre in Jefferson County, Colo.) and he served both campuses.

His job, both as an SRO and as it's defined now, isn't just to provide security for the school. It's a job that involves getting to know students, assist them where he can, and providing information about school and personal safety.

Chief Chris Hayward said the new state law helps make the situation more flexible.

"I'm not a one of those who believes that in order to keep our kids safe there have to be uniformed police officers," Hayward said. "Do I believe that it should be someone like Eric who has that experience and has that training? Absolutely. But I don't think that it has to be an active police officer because there are requirements of Eric. Even if he hadn't been hired back by us, there are still those requirements where he has to go to the annual training with firearms, use of deadly physical force etc., so there still those safeguards, for want of a better term, in place to make sure that they're maintaining that level of training to respond in an appropriate manner."

Photo: Eric Miller, Tim McArdle, middle school and high school principal, Carol Messura, Wolcott principal, and Officer Heath Mattingly, one of two part-time officers assigned to Wolcott.

Press release:

New York State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has secured $72,000 in state funding for public libraries throughout Genesee County.

“Our local libraries enrich our communities with invaluable services, and this critical funding will assist libraries across Genesee County with providing more programming to their patrons,” Ranzenhofer said. "As your State Senator, I am proud to be a strong supporter of Genesee County’s libraries."

The total funding will be distributed among Genesee County’s six public libraries:

• Byron-Bergen Library, $12,000;

• Corfu Free Library, $12,000;

• Haxton Memorial Library; $12,000;

• Hollwedel Memorial Library, $12,000;

• Richmond Memorial Library, $12,000; and

• Woodward Memorial Library, $12,000.

The funding can be used for a variety of purposes, including capital improvements, new books, learning materials, software, programming and computers. The funding is part of the 2018-19 State Budget. The funding is administered by the New York State Education Department.