“Similar contracts in Ballston, Wilton, and Corinth have been canceled in the past when services fell short or due to financial considerations,” PBA president Ryan Mahan in a Facebook post.
“Residents should remember that the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department and State Police continue to provide coverage in Malta, responding to 911 calls and public safety needs.”
The statement comes after Saratoga County Conservative Party Chairman Thomas Sartin, a former Saratoga Springs police officer, took issue with the town not renewing its contract with the Sheriff’s Department in the 2025 budget.
“The Town of Malta is a large community of over 17,000 residents and we find it hard to believe that if the residents had known of this change of their police services that they would have voted in favor of it or at least expressed their concerns,” stated Sartin in the a press release posted on the party’s Facebook page.
In May 2023 the town agreed to pay the sheriff’s department to provide an office to patrol town seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The contact would have cost over $300,000 in the 2025 budget, according to Town Supervisor Cynthis Young.
She said the town board unanimously supported not moving forward with the contract again.
“It was purely a budgetary decision,” she said. “It was a tough budget year for us. We had two revenue streams that underperformed, mortgage taxes and building permits. And of course, the estimates for the Saratoga County sales tax revenue, which is our highest revenue stream, are basically projected as being flat, I think. And so we, you know, we felt that we could use that money elsewhere.”
Young also said the budget is made available to the public to review and she is available to answer questions.
“I have not heard anything from any residents that are unhappy about it,” she said. “The only resident that we heard from was the former supervisor. He was very vocal about it at our last meeting.”
Former Malta Supervisor Bill Hammond expressed his concerns to the board during a public hearing on the budget at the Nov. 7 meeting.
Hammond said the patrols did have an impact noting just more of a presence is a deterrent to crime.
Town Board member Matt McLoughlin, who was also a state Trooper in Malta at one point, said the town is centrally located to Routes 9 and 67 as well as Interstate 87 meaning there are police patrolling the area all the time.
He also said he didn’t feel it was fair to town residents to have to pay twice for sheriff’s deputies, noting they pay for that through their county taxes.
“If the sheriff’s department was going to add more deputies to the road because we were giving them money, that’s one thing– they weren’t.” McLoughlin said during the Nov. 7 meeting. “That’s why I’m against it. If the problem is they need more deputies to work the county that’s a different issue and I support that. If the Sheriff’s Department needs to increase funding that has to be done at the county level. That shouldn’t be the burden of the Malta taxpayers.”
During the town board meeting Monday night Board member Craig Warner said he’s trying to set a meeting with the sheriff to discuss the contract. McLoughlin said the town is also setting up a public safety committee that includes first responders to review items like this as well as any other future safety needs in town.
Mahan said in his statement that as both the president of the PBA and a Malta resident he’s willing to assist in any dialogue on the topic.
“Furthermore, I hope the sheriff considers allowing deputies to bid for contracted town patrols to ensure true designated coverage,” he said in the statement. “As a resident, I would feel more confident knowing the assigned officer is part of the community, maintains direct communication, and understands the specific issues that need attention.”
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