Former village of Skaneateles Police Chief Jack McNeil agreed Monday to pay $22,000 in restitution for stealing parking meter money while he was in office.

McNeil, of 86 W. Genesee St., Skaneateles, avoided jail time by agreeing to restitution.

McNeil pleaded guilty in February to grand larceny, defrauding the government and official misconduct.

Onondaga County Chief Assistant District Attorney Patrick Quinn said the prosecution was looking for $27,000.

The $22,000 amount was agreed upon by Quinn, Judge William Walsh and Emil Rossi, McNeil's attorney, Quinn said. Rossi could not immediately be reached for comment.

McNeil will pay $10,000 of the total within three weeks.

He will have three years to pay off the remaining amount.

“We're satisfied with the decision from the DA's office,” said Village Mayor Robert Green. “I think they did an excellent job in the investigation. It's an issue we would like to get behind us.”

McNeil, who was chief of the Skaneateles Police Department for 20 years before he retired in 2005, admitted stealing the meter money between January 2003 to May 2005.

Authorities began investigating McNeil in July 2005 when the new Skaneateles police chief noticed a substantial change in meter revenues and informed the district attorney's office.

In the past, Quinn said that investigators chose to analyze the 2003 to 2005 time frame because the more current records are easier to access, but that there had been consideration given to looking further back.

“Realistically, would we? I'm not sure,” Quinn said Monday of the time-consuming process. “But we're not precluding that.”