Emilia Teasdale is reporting in The Columbia Paper the Chatham Town Board has approved a plan to hire a deputy from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office to police speeding on the Taconic State Parkway and other town roads as a way to boost town revenue. The board recently learned there was a $60,000 shortfall in its 2016 budget. At its meeting last month, the board approved paying the Sheriff’s Office $26 to $54 an hour plus mileage to monitor speeding on local roads and the portion of the parkway that runs through the town. “The town needs revenue,” said Supervisor Maria Lull of the plan. Other board members stressed that speeding was also a safety issue that needed to be addressed. Board member Bob Balcom said he was certain the town would see a return on the money spent on fees and added court costs. “I’m quite certain in an eight-hour shift the deputy will find the revenue,” he said. Board member Henry Swartz was the lone dissenter. “I don’t think we are going to hire a deputy to make money for the town,” he said. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.