Statement From Steuben Co Chair VanEtten, Regarding A Recent Radio Story Done On WVIN/WABH Radio
On August 18, we reported on WVIN/WABH Radio, that Sheriff Jim Allard said, that the Steuben County Legislature, coming up at the Monday August 28th meeting, might be getting rid of the county law that protects the sheriff from being personally sued. And our news department has received a statement from County Legislative Chair Scott VanEtten.
"The Sheriff has gone on a local radio station (WLEA) accusing me of 'political grandstanding' by making the motion to pass this resolution out of committee and for the full Legislature’s consideration. Unfortunately for him, that’s not the case at all. I have better things to do than play politics with him.
"We as Legislators have a responsibility to our constituents and all County taxpayers to manage the County operations in the most efficient , cost effective manner. Part of that includes minimizing the risk / liability of future claims. The County gets sued often. Many of them are frivolous, some of them are very serious. In the end the taxpayers foot the bill for all settlements or verdicts should they end up going to court.
"Our ~850 employees are the County’s most important asset. We continuously work to provide them with an environment that is safe and free of harassment, hostility and the like. We have a number of policies in place to achieve that, and they are based on NYS requirements. We expect all departments and managers to adhere to and follow the same. We must ensure non bias investigations in order to accomplish the mandates of the policies. Without assurances of the same, the tax payers should not be burdened with the liability that could be prevented with compliance with processes already in place.
"So we are considering pulling the Sheriff’s indemnification. Not one Legislator wants to be in this difficult position. Unfortunately the reason we must consider it is because of the actions (or inactions) of one person."
Scott VanEtten
Upcoming Road And Bridge Work In Campbell, Urbana
The Wood Road Bridge in the Town of Campbell will be closed for construction beginning Monday (Aug. 28) for six weeks. The historic bridge crosses the Cohocton River, located between County Route 125 and Savona Campbell Road, and will be closed for deck repair. There won’t be an onsite detour. Also, County Route 87 in Urbana will be closed from 7:30 am to 4 pm next Monday and Tuesday, there won’t be an onsite detour either.
Ther Was A Major Drug Arrest In Livingston County
In Livingston County, Sheriff Tom Dougherty reports that two Allegany County residents, one from Cuba, one from Bolivar, are accused of getting pulled over and having 283 bags of Fentynal in their vehicle, as well as some meth. The sheriff says that the two were pulled over on 390 in Avon. The two suspects are facing numerous charges.
.jpg)
