County could lose a deputy position

CANTON — There could be one less sheriff's deputy patrolling St. Lawrence County's roads next year.

Lawmakers voted 7-7 at Monday's Finance Committee budget review to restore a vacant road patrol deputy position slated for elimination in 2010.

According to Legislature committee rules, a motion must receive at least eight votes to pass. Legislator Daniel J. Girard, D-Louisville, was absent.

"We have one less person on the road patrol than we did when I joined the department 20 years ago," Sheriff Kevin M. Wells said ahead of the vote. "We've been doing more with less for many years now."

Mr. Wells said he feared losing a deputy means some citizen-aid calls will not be answered.

"We can't go down one more person and keep up with the work," he said. "I'd like to be able to answer people's complaints."

Mr. Wells said state police also respond to complaints, but trooper ranks are shrinking. He estimated that deputies respond to 12,000 citizen-aid calls in a year.

"I'd bet the number of state troopers here is still greater than it was three years ago," said Legislator Peter W. FitzRandolph, D-Canton. "We could cut your whole road patrol and the state police would fill in. You can't drive 10 miles in this county without seeing two state police cars."

Mr. Wells said deputies also must track registered sex offenders, serve Family Court papers and transport county jail inmates to court appearances, all tasks that state police do not do.

Eliminating the position leaves the department with 19 deputies, four road patrol sergeants and three detective sergeants, Mr. Wells said.

Also Monday, legislators voted 8-6 to reinstate a jail corrections officer position set to be eliminated next year. Mr. Wells said the position was needed to maintain the jail's state-mandated minimum staffing numbers.

Lawmakers are expected to hold their final 2010 budget review session at 4 p.m. today at the County Courthouse to approve all changes so far made to the draft $222 million spending plan.