BATH – Safety on the roads and dealing with the high cost of court reform top the agenda when the Steuben County Legislature meets at 10 a.m. Monday in the County Office Building, 3 Pulteney Sq., Bath. A proposed measure on Monday setting up a traffic diversion program would allow the county District Attorney’s office to give drivers charged with traffic violations and related misdemeanors the option of taking the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles’ approved driver education program. Supporters say the diversion program would allow drivers to improve their skills and increase road safety in the county. Those volunteering to take the DMV course would pay service charges set at $275 for alleged traffic violations and $350 for alleged traffic-related misdemeanors, potentially avoiding the higher costs tied in with court action on the allegations. The measure calls for the DA’s office to set guidelines for eligibility and applications for the diversion program, with the service charges collected by the county Finance Office. If the measure is approved by the county Legislature Monday, a public hearing will be held with a final vote by county lawmakers in October. The county Legislature also will be asked to approve additional expenses for unfunded state-mandated reforms to the court system through the state Criminal Justice Reform Act. The complex reform system is tailored for large municipal courts, but will require additional staff and related equipment to be in place in Steuben by Jan. 1, 2020. Meeting these new requirements will likely lead to additional costs next year, according to county District Attorney Brooks Baker and county Sheriff Jim Allard. Other agenda items Monday include accepting the 2019 State Homeland Security Program Grant of nearly $130,000. The grant will provide $32,500 to the Sheriff’s Office for terrorism prevention activities, with the remaining $97,500 used by the county Office of Emergency Services for emergency notification programs such as Ready Steuben and the volunteer responders’ service, "IamResponding."
