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General News: Police Layoffs On Hold, Judge Rules
September 06, 2011
On Tuesday, a state supreme court judge extended until September 20th a temporary restraining order that will prevent the layoff of two Cornwall police officers and the elimination of a sergeant’s position. The union representing Cornwall police officers went to court last week to stop the changes that were supposed to take effect on Wednesday, September 7. The union is charging that the town council took the decision to layoff the officers without a public discussion of the matter, a violation of the open meetings law.
On Monday night, town supervisor Kevin Quigley issued a press statement in which he defended the procedure, saying that personnel issues must be discussed in closed-door executive session. The union’s chief negotiator, Sgt. Douglas Schofield, said the layoffs were really a budgetary matter, which should have been discussed in a public meeting.
When negotiations for a new contract with the police union failed to reach an agreement, the matter was sent to an arbitration panel that ruled earlier this year that the police should receive a four percent raise in 2009 and a three-and-a-half percent raise in 2010.
Supervisor Quigley says the results of the long arbitration process placed a strain on the town’s funds, which at the same time have been negatively affected by a drop in revenue. In order to avoid a tax hike, Quigley said, the town council will not “spend monies it doesn’t have.”
Sgt. Schofield disagrees with that, saying the town had budgeted the money for a four percent increase in 2009 and a three percent increase in 2010 and that the funds should have been available to pay the officers’ raises without affecting the town’s 2011 budget. He added that the arbitration panel received proof that the town had the money to pay for the pay increases.
In its own press release, the PBA noted that the town council members approved a pay raise for themselves of four percent in 2009 and three percent in 2010. It also predicted that the elimination of two full-time officers’ position will result in a 33 percent drop in patrol staffing. Supervisor Quigley disagrees, saying that some of the 10 part-time officers on the force will maintain full police service.
The town council is expected to discuss the issue at its work session on Tuesday evening.
Read a letter from Supervisor Quigley here.
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