The writing in the paper is now the writing on the wall for village officials in Cato.
Jennifer Meyers / The Citizen
The village of Cato courtroom is also used as the village board meeting room and shared with the sheriff's substation, at the right. In April, the village will dissolve its court in a cost-saving effort.
The village will dissolve its court and take care of justice through the towns in April. While the court has been cost effective up to this point, Mayor Carl Lincoln believes the move will save money in coming years.
A series of articles in the New York Times last September exposed inadequacies in many of the state's 1,300 town and village justice courts. It touched off an increase in scrutiny and movement toward reform Lincoln feels the village won't be able to afford.
“Right now we're just about breaking even,” he said.
The state Office of Court Administration is pushing for major upgrades to justice courts that would be difficult for the village to accommodate without funding. The court, held twice a month in the village's meeting room, doesn't even support a clerk.
Though no mandates exist, a recent state Unified Court System report includes strong recommendations for justice courts to provide uniformed security officers, adequate space to separate litigants and court personnel and magnetometers.
“It's an ideal time to opt out,” Lincoln said.
When village Justice Paula Townsend decided not to seek a second term this spring, the mayor put the wheels of dissolution in motion. The village Board of Trustees OK'd consolidation with the towns of Ira and Cato courts in January.
Lincoln's forecast brings questions of who will foot the bill for security,
technology and training initiatives. Increasing security, upgrading technology and adding personnel would create a burden on the books, said Lincoln, who is most worried about having to add a court clerk or expand the court facility.
Electing another justice would lock the village into any future compliance for the four-year term, he said.
“It may not come down totally this year,” Lincoln said. “It just seems to be a cost-cutting way to go at this time.”
He didn't rule out reviving the court in the future.
The state Unified Court System recently rolled out its “Action Plan for Justice Courts” with goals for those areas and the promise of partial funding for them. The plan is not explicitly tied to the Times report, but was introduced a few months after the story ran.
A state Office of Court Administration spokesman would not comment on Cato's situation for this story. The 68-page report does not recommend dissolving smaller courts.
“I'm not getting involved in a local decision,” OCA Communications Director David Bookstaver said.
The courts system will request at least $10 million to fund initiatives during the next budget year.
State Sen. Mike Nozzolio recognized the inherent possibility of increased cost that comes with changes in any institution.
“There's always a risk with any policy change,” Nozzolio said. “Certainly we will try to guard against unfunded mandates.”
The change to the town courts in Ira and Cato means very little in terms of inconvenience. The Ira court is just down the road from the Route 34 village offices. The Cato town building is about a mile down Route 370 from the Ira facility.
The Cato dissolution measure received no opposing petition by the deadline last week. Without its own police force, the village caseload stays fairly light.
The village is one of the last without a police force to dissolve its court. The villages of Aurora, Cayuga and Union Springs have used their respective town courts for decades.
The village of Fair Haven has been without a court for several years. The few cases within its jurisdiction are handled by Sterling Town Court.
“About the only things that go before the local court are property violations,” village Mayor Bill McVea said.
On the other end of the spectrum, the village of Moravia just opened the doors on its $587,000 justice center. The building is also home to state and local police.
The five-member police department had been using a room at village hall. Eventually some grant money made the project a reality, Moravia Mayor Donald Myers said.
“It's not a money-making proposition, but it does bring in some revenue for us,” Myers said.
Keeping the village court system going is more a matter of offering services. A proposal to consolidate the village court with the town system was shot down by voters in the 1970s, Myers said.
Weedsport Mayor Jean Saroodis would expect a similar reaction in her village.
“It's always served us pretty well,” she said.
The police department helps keep the caseload steady. Fees and fines even draw a little revenue for the municipality, she said.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
A series of articles in the New York Times last September exposed inadequacies in many of the state's 1,300 town and village justice courts. It touched off an increase in scrutiny and movement toward reform Lincoln feels the village won't be able to afford.
“Right now we're just about breaking even,” he said.
The state Office of Court Administration is pushing for major upgrades to justice courts that would be difficult for the village to accommodate without funding. The court, held twice a month in the village's meeting room, doesn't even support a clerk.
Though no mandates exist, a recent state Unified Court System report includes strong recommendations for justice courts to provide uniformed security officers, adequate space to separate litigants and court personnel and magnetometers.
“It's an ideal time to opt out,” Lincoln said.
When village Justice Paula Townsend decided not to seek a second term this spring, the mayor put the wheels of dissolution in motion. The village Board of Trustees OK'd consolidation with the towns of Ira and Cato courts in January.
Lincoln's forecast brings questions of who will foot the bill for security,
technology and training initiatives. Increasing security, upgrading technology and adding personnel would create a burden on the books, said Lincoln, who is most worried about having to add a court clerk or expand the court facility.
Electing another justice would lock the village into any future compliance for the four-year term, he said.
“It may not come down totally this year,” Lincoln said. “It just seems to be a cost-cutting way to go at this time.”
He didn't rule out reviving the court in the future.
The state Unified Court System recently rolled out its “Action Plan for Justice Courts” with goals for those areas and the promise of partial funding for them. The plan is not explicitly tied to the Times report, but was introduced a few months after the story ran.
A state Office of Court Administration spokesman would not comment on Cato's situation for this story. The 68-page report does not recommend dissolving smaller courts.
“I'm not getting involved in a local decision,” OCA Communications Director David Bookstaver said.
The courts system will request at least $10 million to fund initiatives during the next budget year.
State Sen. Mike Nozzolio recognized the inherent possibility of increased cost that comes with changes in any institution.
“There's always a risk with any policy change,” Nozzolio said. “Certainly we will try to guard against unfunded mandates.”
The change to the town courts in Ira and Cato means very little in terms of inconvenience. The Ira court is just down the road from the Route 34 village offices. The Cato town building is about a mile down Route 370 from the Ira facility.
The Cato dissolution measure received no opposing petition by the deadline last week. Without its own police force, the village caseload stays fairly light.
The village is one of the last without a police force to dissolve its court. The villages of Aurora, Cayuga and Union Springs have used their respective town courts for decades.
The village of Fair Haven has been without a court for several years. The few cases within its jurisdiction are handled by Sterling Town Court.
“About the only things that go before the local court are property violations,” village Mayor Bill McVea said.
On the other end of the spectrum, the village of Moravia just opened the doors on its $587,000 justice center. The building is also home to state and local police.
The five-member police department had been using a room at village hall. Eventually some grant money made the project a reality, Moravia Mayor Donald Myers said.
“It's not a money-making proposition, but it does bring in some revenue for us,” Myers said.
Keeping the village court system going is more a matter of offering services. A proposal to consolidate the village court with the town system was shot down by voters in the 1970s, Myers said.
Weedsport Mayor Jean Saroodis would expect a similar reaction in her village.
“It's always served us pretty well,” she said.
The police department helps keep the caseload steady. Fees and fines even draw a little revenue for the municipality, she said.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
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