Sheriff Kenneth Carey told the Cayuga County Public Safety Committee on Oct. 20 that staffing at the county jail has deteriorated and requires immediate legislative attention.

Carey said the jail was down 14 positions the day of the meeting and that, when five recently hired staff still in academy training are counted, staffing is effectively 19 positions short of mandated posts. He reported one resignation that day and said 11 additional employees will be eligible to retire between now and next June. Since 2023, Carey said, 21 corrections staff have left.

“The farther we go, people that are becoming eligible to retire are just not having much faith that it might be advantageous for them to stay,” Carey said (transcript). He warned that continuing losses may force the county to board inmates elsewhere, which would reduce boarding revenue and increase costs.

Carey asked the legislature to sit down with the union that represents jail staff to explore retention measures and to discuss contract terms before more employees reach retirement eligibility. He said certified letters and follow-up communications had been sent to the legislature earlier in the year and that county staff had tried to schedule meetings, but an agreed date had not been set.

Legislators responded by recommending the committee chair contact the legislature’s chair and prioritize convening talks with the union; the chair agreed to follow up. Several legislators said they supported hiring initiatives the sheriff has presented to the committee and noted the county was already approving position creations and part-time hires to mitigate overtime costs.

Sheriff Carey reported that five new hires are currently in the academy and that the county also hired two former state corrections officers who required additional certification. He asked legislators to treat negotiations as a priority to retain senior staff and avoid higher future costs associated with boarding inmates out of county.

The committee agreed to press the county chair to schedule union-legislature discussions; the sheriff’s hiring resolutions and part-time positions introduced at the meeting were considered separately and advanced through the committee process.