POTSDAM — Village Trustee Steven W. Yurgartis is trying to persuade his fellow board members to consider several options for sharing court space with the town, but that may be difficult, since Deputy Mayor Ruth F. Garner has taken such a stubborn stance on the issue.

Mr. Yurgartis has been trying since June to establish several options for the town and village to share court space.

Mrs. Garner refused, at a recent court-sharing committee meeting, to acknowledge any option other than the town relocating its court services to the civic center.

At the last committee meeting on the issue, town officials gave the village an ultimatum — either acknowledge a list of several possible locations for a shared court, or forget the cost-cutting measure altogether.

"I'm asking the board if they're open-minded about any of the options," Mr. Yurgartis said. "Ruth has been in politics for a long time, and I respect her point of view and that she has to be candid. But it's frustrating to operate on a committee with the approach we've taken so far."

The village Board of Trustees will consider a resolution agreeing to "fully and objectively evaluate several options for possible sharing of court space with the Town of Potsdam" on Monday night.

The resolution lists several possible locations for a shared court, including Clarkson University's downtown Snell Hall, as well as the town's 35 Market St. headquarters and the civic center. Other options include moving to another existing building, constructing a new court building or leaving things as they are.

"If it doesn't pass, I think that'll be the end of the committee," Mr. Yurgartis said.

He said he didn't think Mrs. Garner had a conflict of interest regarding the village court, even though her daughter Margaret serves as a justice there.

"In a small town, often there's potential for a variety of conflicts of interest," he said. "She was appointed to the committee by the mayor. It's the mayor's decision, and I have to try to live with the situation as I find it."

The majority of trustees, including Mrs. Garner, have already indicated they wouldn't support any option that involved the dissolution of the village court.

Town Supervisor Marie C. Regan and Councilman Michael J. Zagrobelny have said they wouldn't "waste their time" discussing the issue anymore, unless they were certain the village is willing to consider all of the options for sharing court space.

Mrs. Garner could not be reached for comment.