|
Rules Committee Debates Posting Legislative Minutes to County Website
Legislature suggests strengthening County Charter to aid budget process
by Margaret Sternberg
At its January 16, 2007 meeting, the Rules, Enactments & Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the Putnam County Legislature debated the merits of posting Legislative Minutes to its website. All committee members as well as two legislators attending the meeting ex officio appeared in favor of the proposal.
The discussion was in response to a request from Cathy Croft of Brewster, who was present at the meeting.
In addition to the discussion on posting the Minutes from the monthly meeting of the full Legislature, much of the debate concerned attendant suggestions such as posting the Minutes of the various committee meetings and whether, legally, a modified version of the documents could be posted or whether full versions needed to be posted and what the impact would be on the legislative staff workload.
Chairman Tony Hay requested that before there be further discussion that Legislative Counsel Clement Van Ross find out whether the Legislative and Committee Minutes would need to be posted in their entirety before deciding what they would post and a timetable for posting.
The committee also contemplated, but did not act upon, the posting of forthcoming committee meeting agendas, which would encourage attendance at committee meetings when there were discussion items of interest. Legislator Terry Intrary suggested that the Agendas could be used as a template for subsequent posting of abridged Minutes.
In the second major discussion that evening, the Committee expressed dismay with an aspect of the budget process, citing prior requests to the County Executive to not include in his annual proposed budgets funds that are contingent upon the approval of outside authorities, such as the state. Chairman Hay specifically cited the inclusion, in County Executive Bob Bondi's 2007 Budget proposal, of an unapproved increase in the sales tax and a new mortgage tax. Hay said that when the Legislature removed these fees from the 2007 Budget, the County Executive's proposed tax increase of approximately. 9.3 percent then became the Legislature's proposed tax increase of about 18.5 percent. Hay maintained that the Legislature "looks bad" when this is done.
Hay asked whether something could be done in the budget process "to force him" or to impose some penalty on the County Executive for booking revenue in an upcoming budget that are contingent on approval by outside authorities.
Legislator Sam Oliverio suggested an Article 78 could be filed, noting that Mr. Bondi, as County Executive, had twice been successfully taken to court. Van Ross appeared doubtful over a suggestion to pass a resolution to prohibit booking unapproved revenue . Legislator Dan Birmingham suggested "beefing up the charter," which Van Ross said he would look into.
In a brief discussion, the formation of a Cemetery Committee by the Legislature appeared no longer possible. A memo from Legislative Counsel Van Ross explained that the County may establish and maintain a County Cemetery for indigents and members of the Armed Forces, otherwise towns are responsible for cemeteries. Van Ross said the County Historian's office is the proper area for such a committee.
He added that the Legislature had transferred responsibility of the County Historian's office to the County Executive from the Legislature and that the creation of a Legislative Cemetery Committee to oversee the duties of the County Historian would be beyond the purview of the Legislature.
Legislator Birmingham suggested that Van Ross research the idea of putting a clause in land records to identify cemeteries on various properties in order to prevent them from being destroyed and reused for other functions.
The committee also broached whether to combine the Physical Services with the Land Acquisition Committees due to an overlapping of concerns this year. There would be a sunset provision as of December 31, 2007, at which times the committees would return to two, separate entities. The motion was passed to be forwarded to the full Legislature for a vote in February.
However, a sticking point appeared to be five legislators sitting on the Land Acquisition Committee. Legislator Oliverio pointed out that the number constitutes a majority of the Legislature and if all voted for a resolution, the item will have been passed by the full Legislature. There was no immediate resolution to that issue.
The date and time of the February meeting of the Rules Committee will be posted on the PCN&R's website as soon as it becomes available.
Providing local news, information and opinions from
Philipstown and Putnam Valley, NY
Encompassing the Villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville,
and the hamlet of Garrison, Putnam County, NY.
This site is a publication of The Putnam County News and Recorder, the source for news and information of the Philipstown
and Putnam Valley area. The PCN&R is 139
years old, published in hard copy every Wednesday, and circulated throughout Putnam
County, NY.
The PCN&R prints LEGAL NOTICES
for: Putnam County, The Town of Philipstown, The Town of Putnam Valley, Village of Cold Spring, Village of
Nelsonville, the Haldane Union Free School District and the Garrison Union Free School
District.
Deadline for printed press releases, advertisements and classifieds is Monday at noon for
Wednesday publication. This site is updated on an as-needed basis with a minimum update
weekly on Thursdays. For further information or to request a subscription to the paper, please
contact us with your name and mailing address at:
(845) 265-2468 PO Box 185, Cold Spring, NY 10516, or e-mail us at editor@pcnr.com
If you see an advertiser on line, tell them! | 
