Public Safety Committee approves multiple grant reallocations, contract renewals and staffing requests
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Summary
The Allegany County Public Safety Committee on Feb. 4 approved Homeland Security and emergency management reappropriations, probation and public defender contract renewals, a Patriot Towers communications contract, and requests to fill several grant-funded positions; one personnel matter was moved to executive session.
The Allegany County Public Safety Committee approved a series of grant reappropriations, contract renewals and staffing requests at its Feb. 4 meeting.
What the committee approved: Committee members unanimously carried a set of routine and grant-funded items by voice vote. The Office of Emergency Management received approval to reappropriate three grant lines, including a 2023 Homeland Security Grant Program item for $29,875 and a separate reappropriation of unspent 2024 Homeland Security funds; the committee also approved an FY2024 Emergency Management Performance Grant reallocation that requires a 50/50 county match (amount indicated in the meeting packet was unclear). OEM Director Scott Golden said the FY2024 funds are earmarked for staff salaries, training and related costs.
Public defender grants and staffing: Public Defender J. R. Santana Carter asked the committee to renew a three‑year counsel-at-arraignment grant totaling "over $600,000" and to continue a separate grant tied to the Harel Herring settlement of about "$316,000 over three years;" both were approved. The public defender also received committee approval to refill a grant-funded legal case manager position after a prior hire did not work out.
Probation and contracts: Probation Director Scott Grantier received approval for a budget modification to use pretrial-account overage to continue programs formerly funded by Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) grants after federal renewal was denied. The committee approved contract renewals: mental-health practitioner Jeffrey Brown for calendar-year 2026 and a renewal for Alfred Counseling Associates with an increased per-evaluation rate; Grantier said the changes remain within the department’s budget lines. Grantier also announced his resignation effective April 3 and said he will support a transition.
Sheriff contracts: Sheriff Scott Ciccarello secured committee approval for a $154,476 contract with Patriot Towers (Scottsville, N.Y.) to upgrade 911 communications towers; Ciccarello said the work is fully grant-funded. The sheriff introduced a proposed three‑year food-services contract with Trinity Services and said Trinity has agreed to absorb impacted employees; committee members moved to go into executive session to discuss personnel and financial-credit matters before finalizing that contract.
What was not decided: The Trinity Services contract discussion ended with a motion to enter executive session; the committee approved the move and did not take a public vote on the contract terms during the meeting.
Why it matters: The approvals keep multiple grant-funded public-safety programs operating and authorize infrastructure upgrades intended to improve emergency communications. The committee recorded multiple routine unanimous voice votes and advanced one personnel-sensitive contract discussion to executive session.