Yates County is moving the direction of Seneca County.
Voters approved two propositions on Election Day, which puts the county on a similar path to one of its neighbors.
The first proposition that was approved involved staggering the terms of county legislators. The second diminishes the responsibilities of the elected treasurer, and moves toward an appointed director of finance.
That was a controversial move in Seneca County, where countless issues were found, as the municipality attempted to move from one system to another.
It involved consolidating financial operations, which had previously been completed within individual departments.
The first measure is one that many communities in the region have moved toward. Cities like Canandaigua have instituted similar efforts to ensure that institutional knowledge or ‘complete turnover’ is not experienced – jeopardizing the ability for a governing body to govern.
Yates had direct experience with this a number of years ago after a large number of legislators were voted out after a controversial increase in taxes.
Josh is the publisher of FingerLakes1.com. Have a question? Send them to [email protected].