STEUBEN COUNTY, N.Y. (WENY) -- On September 25th, the Steuben County Legislature passed two resolutions regarding liability insurance for Steuben County Sheriff Jim Allard. On November 27th, the legislature voted to rescind the same measure.

"On Monday, November 27th, the Steuben County Legislature repealed Resolution Number 186-23, which would have imposed an unprecedented requirement on the County Sheriff to obtain liability insurance against lawsuits arising from the Sheriff’s Office’s performance of official duties," said Sheriff Allard in a written statement.

Sheriff Allard said it would have cost him millions to purchase liability insurance. He said the county has a blanket insurance policy and by the legislature passing the resolution, it would've made him get additional insurance beyond what's provided by the county.

"I've had no communication from the County Manager's office or the legislature that they were even contemplating this as an option," said Sheriff Allard.

In a written statement from the county legislature on October 2nd, the legislature said for Sheriff Allard to claim no explanation was given is "patently false and is a public statement the Sheriff can now not take back. This difficult decision was not made overnight – it has been actively discussed since the beginning of July, and the County has held out hope for it to be resolved."

The other resolution that was passed in September was to remove Sheriff Allard's indemnification, which was not rescinded on Monday.

"Indemnification is a guarantee that should I get sued for any act that I do officially in good faith, the county will come to my defense and provide me with a legal defense for that action. So, taking away my indemnification means that the county doesn't have to provide me with legal defense in those circumstances," said Sheriff Allard.

In a second statement from Legislature Chairman Van Etten on October 3rd, it said a letter from the New York State Sheriff's Association was wrong on both the facts and substance.


"New York State Law, by default, does not provide a Sheriff with indemnification, it requires an act of the County Legislature to do so. The recent action of rescinding this local law merely requires Sheriff Allard to obtain liability insurance at levels consistent with industry standards, as authorized by State Law."

Sheriff Allard said he would continue to do his job and continue to put public safety first.

"We will continue being professionals here and we'll continue providing the public safety services...I'm just hopeful the Legislature continues to move in the right direction," said Sheriff Allard.

A legal hearing is pending in December, regarding the resolution of Sheriff Allard's indemnification. 

WENY News reached out to the Steuben County Manager who said the county and the Legislature do have comment at this time, but more information regarding the issue will be forthcoming.

Sheriff Allard's media release from Nov. 27th can be found below.

 Sheriff Allard's initial media release from Oct. 2nd can be found below.