BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON -- The St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Office is applying to become the prime grantee for the Northern New York Trafficking Program Grant after the Erie County Sheriff's Office ended their involvement sooner than expected.

Legislators approved a resolution to close out the New York Labor Trafficking Program Grant that was previously accepted in 2022, returning any unused funds to the Howard G. Buffet Foundation within 15 days.

That action came during a special meeting prior to the finance committee meeting held May 20.

The grant, which was accepted unanimously by county legislators during a full board meeting on Sept. 12, 2022, was to be paid out over 3 years.

The grant funding was to be utilized for a task force that includes local law enforcement, victim serving agencies, legal service and outreach entities.

The grant funds were to be administered by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office with sub awards “to local law enforcement and not-for-profit agencies to cover criminal investigations, prosecutions, outreach, legal advocacy, case management, emergency assistance, training coordination and data analysis,” officials said at the time.

Officials said at the time that they hoped to conduct “victim centered proactive labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions” with the funding while providing “comprehensive case management and immigration legal services to identify victims, to conduct outreach services to vulnerable communities and to develop promising practices for identifying, responding to and servicing survivors of labor trafficking.

The grant amount was $1,000,720 and was to be used to cover salary, benefits and “any other necessary equipment and contractual expenses.”

In a corresponding move, legislators also accepted a $45,000 grant for the Sheriff's Office in an effort to continue the work that began because of the former grant.

The charitable contribution from the foundation will assist during the transition to the new grant, which is potentially anticipated to be a 60-day period.

With the Erie County Sheriff's Office pulling out of their role as the prime grantee, allowing them to function as the pass through agency, St. Lawrence County Sheriffs' Office will now seek to become the prime grantee in their place.

If successful, legislators will have to accept and modify the Office's 2024 budget accordingly, officials say.

The Sheriff's Office will also work with the county treasurer's office to reconcile and return the balance of the grant funds in the meantime.