GREENE – Legislation that would have allowed the villages of Greene and Oxford to promote two local officers to full-time status has been vetoed by Governor David Paterson.
The bill, sponsored by State Senator Thomas Libous and State Assemblyman Clifford Crouch, would have allowed the villages to circumvent state civil service laws that prohibit them from hiring officers over the age of 35 for full-time duty.
Officers Ron Martin and Norm Shaffer are currently working part-time for both villages. The officers, both over 35, work part-time shifts for each village to equal a full-time schedule. The situation is far from ideal for the two men. They would prefer to work full-time: Martin for Oxford and Shaffer for Greene.
The arrangement also means that the officers are not eligible for full-time retirement or health benefits. “We want to be able to give them benefits,” said Greene Mayor Marcia Miller.
Neither municipality is ready to give up on the bill, which Miller believes was vetoed because of wording that would have made the officers exempt from civil service laws.
According to Greene’s Chief of Police Steve Dutcher, the plan is to make the necessary changes and resubmit the bill in January. He said he hopes Libous and Crouch will continue to support the bill.
“This is what both guys want and what both departments want,” said Dutcher. “Now we’ll have to wait a little longer.”