Potsdam hires police officer, despite concerns over cost

POTSDAM — Village trustees have hired a Potsdam man to fill a vacant position on the village police force at a starting salary of $41, 221.

Corbin J.D. Gates-Shult, 641 County Route 47, will begin duties Thursday, according to village officials.

Village trustees approved Mr. Gates-Shult's hiring 4-0, with Trustee Steven W. Yurgartis absent from Tuesday morning's special meeting of the board.

Trustee Stephen J. Warr supported the hiring, even though at a village meeting earlier this month he agreed with Mr. Yurgartis's call for a one-year moratorium on new hiring in the department.

Mr. Warr said Tuesday he still agrees with the idea of a hiring freeze but said there is no reason to continue the debate since a majority of the board already voted Aug. 16 to fill the two vacant positions in the police department.

"I voted at the last meeting to table the hiring for a year pending what Steve Yurgartis so elegantly put forth before us," Mr. Warr said. "I lost the vote. I still agree with Steve, but I am not going to hold it against the young fellow we intend to hire."

Mr. Yurgartis has argued that taxpayers in the village are taking on a huge burden for future generations when they continue to hire municipal employees and provide those employees with lucrative retirement deals.

Mr. Yurgartis was out of town Tuesday, but in an e-mail exchange he said he still advocates a hiring freeze, when possible, as a way to curtail future costs to taxpayers.

"Because of the estimated $7 million cost of hiring a police officer, with about half of that cost to be incurred by village residents after the officer retires and is no longer on the street, my position continues to be that we should have a moratorium on hiring of new police officers until we are sure we cannot operate with a reduced force," Mr. Yurgartis said.

"I believe a responsible approach requires we must balance present desires against (incurring) huge future costs."