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Merrick officials move to outsource crossing-guard management to private company
Summary
Village leaders agreed to advance a plan to contract Crossing Guard Services to manage crossing guards, citing reduced overtime and fewer police/parking-enforcement reassignments; the company would offer existing guards the opportunity to transfer and fill no-shows from its roster.
The Village of Merrick board advanced a plan to contract out crossing-guard management to a private company, a move officials said would free police and parking-enforcement personnel from covering crosswalks and improve reliability.
Chief DeRuzzo said the village issued an RFP, received two responses and selected Crossing Guard Services. "We will utilize the existing crossing guards, and then also, they would supplement with their existing staff," DeRuzzo said, adding that parks staff and other village employees would not be required to cover posts.
Adam Brian, introduced by the board as the company’s chief executive, told trustees the firm is responsible for filling slots when a guard does not show. "So we won't be sending the parking enforcement officer or a police officer to do another job when somebody doesn't show up, calls in sick, or just doesn't attend, which is that's the big bonus out of all this," Brian said.
Officials said a fiscal analysis based on last school year shows the contract would cost slightly more than current personnel costs but that the estimate did not fully capture savings in avoided overtime and redeployment of staff. The chief and Brian estimated a 30–45 day window to transition if the board approves an agreement, and said current crossing guards would be offered the chance to work for the vendor and keep their existing posts if they choose.
Board members asked about recruitment and local hiring. Brian said the company prefers village residents for vacancies and that current employees would be offered positions first. Trustees emphasized they expect the contract to include a recruitment component and local-hire preference.
The board directed counsel to prepare an agreement to return for approval at the regular meeting; no formal vote to execute a contract was recorded during the work session.
