A proposal under which Cayuga County would shift to an elected County Executive may not make it onto the ballot in November.
The Citizen reports the county has been discussing the potential change for several years. It would require an amendment to the county charter and that requires approval from voters. At last week’s County Legislature Government Operations Committee meeting, chair Chris Petrus said the legislature needs to decide whether the updated charter language would be created by a special commission or a committee of lawmakers.
Legislature chair David Gould asked for more information about the process of changing the charter and the various options open to the legislature. Gould questioned how power and authority would be distributed between the County Executive and the Legislature.
Because of the need for more discussion, legislators don’t believe they can come to a final decision on the charter change by August, the deadline for getting it onto the November ballot.
Turnover in Operations Officer position leads to calls for change
The current form of government in the county puts the legislature in charge of day-to-day affairs, with the help of an Operations Officer. A high turnover rate in that position over the last several years had led to calls for a change.
Cayuga County appoints first-ever operations officer
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