Public Safety Committee approves lease expansions, grants and flood-equipment MOU; several budget reconciliations pass

The Chautauqua County Public Safety Committee voted to approve a package of lease amendments, grant acceptances, budget reconciliations and an MOU to receive state flood-mitigation equipment during its February meeting.

The most substantive discussions focused on expanded office space for the county public defender in Dunkirk, the county’s planned acceptance of flood-mitigation equipment from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), and several year-end budget reconciliations and grant acceptances for the district attorney’s office, the sheriff and emergency services.

Derek Gregory, Assistant Public Defender, told the committee the Public Defender’s Office currently leases 775 square feet in Dunkirk City Hall and is seeking an amendment to add about 664 square feet — “for a total of 1,439 square feet” — by incorporating four additional offices adjacent to the existing suite. Gregory said the lease term would remain unchanged, expiring Dec. 31, 2027, and that the per-square-foot rate would remain the same. He said Indigent Legal Services (ILS) indicated it would pay for the additional space but that Aid to Defense grant funds were an alternative funding source. The committee approved the resolution by voice vote.

The committee also approved a two-year lease with the Village of Mayville for office space to house a sheriff’s reentry hub at 1 Southbury Street for $450 per month, paid from a 2021 grant included in the 2025 budget. Sheriff Jim Quattrone described the reentry hub’s work and said the program’s statistics have been shared with federal grantors; the sheriff called the service “very effective” and said it aims to reduce recidivism.

Madeline Cantaglia, executive assistant to the district attorney, presented a routine equitable-sharing agreement that allows the DA’s office to participate in federal investigations that could produce federal asset-forfeiture funds; she said the legal department requested authorization because an agreement is required annually even though…