Dutchess County

The Public Safety Committee meeting included a motion to suspend the rules to allow the public to address the Committee on agenda items, though no members of the public chose to speak. The primary recorded action was the unanimous adoption of a resolution concerning appointments to the STOP DWI Policy Planning Board.

The committee meeting addressed two key resolutions. The first resolution involved amending the 2023 Adopted County Budget pertaining to the Department of Planning and Development and the Shared Services Reserve Fund. The second resolution concerned setting a public hearing regarding the adoption of a cooperative agreement between the County and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The committee meeting included a presentation from the Commissioner of Public Works regarding groundwater issues at Hudson Valley Regional Airport. Key resolutions adopted by the committee included setting a public hearing for the acquisition of a conservation easement for the Chaseholm Farm in the Town of Pine Plains, the adoption of the Revised Dutchess County Partnership for Manageable Growth Program (PMG), and approving a service agreement between the County of Dutchess and the Dutchess County Water and Wastewater Authority for Part County Sewer District No. 9. During discussions related to the PMG, a request was made for detailed information concerning historical funding allocations to open space.

The Public Safety Committee discussed and unanimously adopted several resolutions authorizing the execution of Intermunicipal Agreements between the County of Dutchess (Dutchess County Sheriff) and various school districts (Dover Union Free School District, Pawling Central School District, Wappingers Central School District, Arlington Central School District, and Pine Plains Central School District) to provide School Resource Officers (SROs). Additionally, the committee adopted resolutions amending the 2018 Adopted County Budget as it pertains to the District Attorney and the Dutchess County Sheriff. During discussions related to the District Attorney budget amendment, Legislator Tyner requested information regarding arrests made by SROs, which was addressed by Undersheriff Kirk Imperati, as confirmed by subsequent email correspondence detailing SRO referrals and arrests from 2006 to April 2018.

The Government Services and Administration Committee meeting addressed a local law concerning the repeal of Article X of Chapter 264 of the Dutchess County Code of Laws. This resolution was unanimously adopted by the committee following a motion by the Majority Leader and a second by a Legislator. The meeting was conducted remotely due to public health concerns related to COVID-19, and no public comments were received via email prior to the deadline.