Police Officer and 3 Crossing Guards Spared from Budget Cuts

After paying heed to residents’ concerns, Pelham’s Board of Trustees said it will likely keep the police officer and three crossing guards it initially proposed cutting.

Village administrator Robert Yamuder said that although the budget is tight, the board was able to find savings to keep the number of police officers and crossing guards intact, but will still call for a $50,000 reduction in police overtime. The overall tax levy would remain at 8.7 percent and the budget will be discussed and voted on, on April 26.

“This is an open government, and this a great example of the public hearing process. The public has been heard,” said Yamuder. “It is a tough time that we are living in—measure wise—and these decisions are not taken lightly. We are looking at every alternative to keep the services up and the taxes down.”

Dawn Jolly, mother of two Hutchinson Elementary School students, said that she experiences the need for crossing guards every morning when she walks her kids to school.

“I personally think [cutting crossing guards] is absurd. It is one of the most important positions in the district,” said Jolly. “I understand it is not run by the Board of Education, however, it is very strongly connected to the school."

Many young children walk to school on their own, Jolly noted, and need supervision and guidance from an adult that is paying attention to the surroundings.

Rose Horley, who originally hails from the United Kingdom and is also a mother of two, agreed.

Children are taught at a young age to be attentive to traffic in the U.K., she said. “Here, when a bus stops, the cars stop,” Horley remarked. “Children don't develop the same kind of road safety awareness that they might in other countries and are trained to rely on other people.”

To save money, the board will probably reduce the number of hours the eight part-time crossing guards work by taking away their lunchtime shift.

“Very few students go home during lunch,” said trustee Goeff Lewis.

The cuts will not affect the four additional seasonal crossing guards, though. All, however, work less than 19 hours a week.

The tentative budget also calls for a $50,000 reduction in police overtime, a $25,000 police car—that will now be covered under a grant—and the freeing up of a budget line that was counted twice, said Lewis.