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| Lewis County Considering November Ballot Referendum to Eliminate Elected County Treasurer Position 08/27/18 04:30pm By: Nick Altmire |
the full Lewis County Board of Legislators consider a resolution for their September 4 meeting to create a referendum for this November's election ballot, asking voters to eliminate the elected County Treasurer position. The Human Resources committee, consisting of legislators Bryan Moser, Andrea Moroughan and Ronald Burns unanimously moved the process forward at their August 15 meeting, at the suggestion of Lewis County Manager Ryan Piche. The Ways & Means committee, consisting of Jerry King, Greg Kulzer and Richard Chartrand took the same action at their August 24 meeting, meaning six of the ten legislators have voiced support for the resolution. In addition to a legislator for each of the ten legislative districts (two year terms), Lewis County voters have traditionally elected a Treasurer, District Attorney, County Clerk and Sheriff to serve four year terms. Treasurer has been an elected position in the county since 1847. The positions are chosen by voters as an independent voice from the legislative body for law enforcement, record keeping and financial matters. A Treasurer elected by the people can speak freely on fiscal matters involving the county, without the fear of being fired by the Board of Legislators. Of the 57 counties in New York State outside of New York City, 43 have an elected fiscal position, while the remaining 14 have an appointed position. Of the 43 counties with an elected fiscal position, ten have an appointed finance auditor, while six also have an appointed finance director. The majority of the 14 counties that strictly use an appointed fiscal position are larger counties, with all having a population of 50,000 or more, while 9 have a population of over 100,000 residents. Lewis County officials said they prefer to eliminate the elected Treasurer and replace the position with an appointed Director of Finance, noting they wish to ensure a professional is in charge of the County finances. They worry an unqualified candidate could be elected to the Treasurer position, forcing the county to hire a finance director in addition to the Treasurer if that were the case. Over the years, the scope and role of County government in New York State has changed dramatically, said Mr. Piche. Today, Lewis County’s 28 departments, including the hospital, have a combined budget of over $120 million, although the hospital has a Chief Financial Officer that handles the majority of hospital finances. The County budget without including the hospital is $45.4 million. The level of technical expertise required of the County Treasurer position has increased, according to Mr. Piche, and certain expertise in accounting and public finance are critical to the successful operation of County government. The elected County Treasurer position is currently budgeted at a salary of $74,800. An appointed Director of Finance position would require a Master's Degree and three years of experience in municipal accounting, or a Bachelor's Degree and five years of experience. The proposed salary range for the position would be $72,828 to $93,116. Current Lewis County Treasurer Patricia O'Brien has previously expressed her desire to retire and not seek re-election to the position at the end of her current term, which expires on December 31, 2019. The County would need the ballot referendum to pass this November in order to remove the position from the 2019 ballot. If approved, the Director of Finance position would start effective January 1, 2020. In order to appear on the ballot as a referendum this November, the full board will need to approve the resolution at their September 4 meeting. The referendum needs to be filed with the Board of Elections by October 1. If approved by the Board of Legislators, the following language will appear on the ballot in this November’s general election:
an appointed, civil service qualified, Director of Finance, effective January 1, 2020?
• No A simple majority of voters is required to approve the measure. We'll have more on this story following the September 4 Board of Legislators meeting. |
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