By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
Waterford Town Board members decided Feb. 9 to take their time about drafting a new proposal to police the Village of Waterford.
At the board’s monthly meeting, the town board decided to form a committee to consider the issue and discuss options, rather than immediately work up a proposal.
That means a Feb. 25 deadline suggested by the village for receipt of proposals breaking out services and costs won’t be met, said Town Chairman Tom Hincz.
Three scenarios for town police services in the village are suggested in a Jan. 28 email sent by Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald to Town Police Chief Tom Ditscheit.
The suggested options include:
• 24/7/365 town policing on first, second and third shifts plus an officer selected by the village to work first shift Monday to Friday and special events;
• town policing of 6,570 hours on second and third shifts, plus first-shift off days as agreed upon by the town and village, plus an officer selected by the village to work first shift Monday to Friday and special events; and
• sheriff’s office policing of 6,570 hours on second and third shifts, plus first-shift off days as agreed upon by the sheriff’s office and village, plus town management of a village officer hired by the village for first-shift coverage Monday to Friday and special events.
Before Monday night’s meeting, Hincz said the town board had to consider whether the time and work to draw up a plan for 2015 is a smart use of town resources.
“We’re seriously considering whether we want to make a proposal because of the way it was handled before,” Hincz said.
Having a joint town/village police arrangement “makes a lot of sense when you think about it,” he added.
But Hincz said the option of splitting police protection for the village between the town and sheriff’s office does not make sense – a sentiment also voiced in 2012 during previous talks.
In 2012, Ditscheit prepared a proposal for a new, joint policing arrangement between the town and village.
Village board members, after months of discussion, opted to stay the course with the sheriff’s office, continuing a more than 35-year contractual arrangement with the sheriff’s department that is still in place.
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