Schuyler County and Yates County jointly pursued a NYS Local Government Efficiency Grant to develop a comprehensive study to examine the financial and operating opportunities related to collaboration between the two counties. The grant was approved in late 2013 and a Committee was formed to select a qualified consultant to perform the study. In early 2014, the Committee selected CGR based in Rochester, NY to perform the work. CGR is a veteran of dozens of similar type studies across the Northeast most recently completing a shared police/sheriff study for Schuyler County and Watkins Glen. The current study will comprise a discussion of staffing, personnel costs, pensions, post-retirement benefits, vehicles, equipment, weapons, facilities, capital improvements, debt and departmental operations, allowing the Steering Committee to make informed decisions on the feasibility of recommendations that typically range along a continuum of implementing best practices within the counties, to shared services, to pursuing a merger of both counties.
Schuyler County has a land mass of 342 square miles, a population of 18,343 (2010 Census) and a population density of 54/sq. mile. It is the second smallest county in the State. The northern boundary surrounds the southern end of Seneca Lake. Local governments consist of eight (8) towns, four (4) villages and three (3) school districts. The County is part of the Southern Tier Economic Development Region.
Yates County has a land area of 376 square miles, a population of 25,344 (2012) and a population density of 67/sq. mile. It is contiguous to Schuyler, sharing a north south border. 65 miles of shoreline of three of the Finger Lakes (Seneca, Keuka and Canandaigua) are within the County’s boundaries. The County includes nine (9) towns, four (4) villages and three (3) school districts. It is part of the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council.