Sheriff's office seeks million for controversial camp project

During a recent government meeting, discussions centered on a proposed reallocation of funds within the Putnam County Sheriff's Office budget, specifically concerning a $1,000,000 allocation for a new building at Camp Herrlick, located at 101 Deacon Smith Hill Road in Paterson. This proposal stems from a budgetary amendment related to resolution 135 of 2022, which originally allocated $2,000,000 for school safety infrastructure upgrades across the county.

The Sheriff's Office has requested that half of these funds be redirected to support additional projects aimed at benefiting local school children, particularly to partially fund the new building for Camp Herrlick. While the administration supports this request, concerns were raised during the meeting regarding the transparency of the process.

One legislator expressed surprise at the allocation, noting that they were not informed about the reallocation until it appeared on the agenda. They highlighted a lack of communication from the Sheriff's Office and emphasized the importance of transparency in discussions about school safety funding. The legislator referenced a previous meeting where a representative from the Sheriff's Office had spoken about reallocating funds for school safety but did not mention the Camp Herrlick project, leaving many attendees confused about the intentions behind the funding shift.

The meeting underscored the need for clearer communication and collaboration among officials to ensure that all stakeholders are informed about significant budgetary decisions, particularly those impacting school safety and community resources.