Sag Harbor Police Rebuff Retirement Incentives

After not a single Sag Harbor Village police officer accepted a retirement incentive offer before the Nov. 30 deadline, Mayor Brian Gilbride expects contract negations with the police union to enter binding arbitration, according to The Sag Harbor Express.

While the Village Board tries to put a lid on the police department budget, The Express reports that the mayor is holding off on layoffs in the near future because the 12-member department is already shorthanded, with one retirement last year, one officer out on sick leave and another requesting an unpaid leave of absense.

The early retirement incentive included $1,000 for each year of continuous full-time service, according to the report, and officers with 10 or more years of service in the New York State Police and Firefighters Retirement System were eligicle.

The village trustees have also weighed dissolving the police department and contracting with another police agency, such as the Southampton Town Police Department, East Hampton Town Police Department or Suffolk County sheriff's office.

Read the article at sagharboronline.com.