Review of Erie County Charter - LOCAL LAW INTRO NO. 3- 2004
Quote:
March 9, 2004
Legislators File Local Law to Begin Charter Review
"Conducting a Charter review in Erie County was one of our five key initiatives in the Democratic Action Agenda for 2004," said Legislature Majority Leader Lynn Marinelli (D-Tonawanda/Buffalo), Chair of the Legislature's Government Affairs Committee.
The Democrats' Action Agenda was released on February 10th and a resolution supporting a Charter Review was approved unanimously at the Legislative Session on February 19th.
Legislators noted that the existing charter is quite outdated and should be changed to reflect changes at Erie County Medical Center and other proposals currently before the County.
"Today we filed a Local Law which officially establishes the Charter Commission and revises the members to include the appropriate stakeholders at the table," said Legislature Chairman George A. Holt, Jr. (D-Buffalo). "We look forward to this being a non-partisan effort and we plan several meetings to allow the public to also weigh in on this issue."
COUNTY OF ERIE
LOCAL LAW INTRO NO. 3- 2004
LOCAL LAW NO.____________- 2004
A LOCAL LAW amending, Local Law No. 1-1959, constituting the Erie County Charter as amended, in relation to the re-establishment, restructuring and reconvening of the Erie County Charter Revision Commission.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATURE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. PURPOSE. Section 1907 of Article 19 of Local Law #1-1959 constituting the Erie County Charter, as amended, establishing a Charter Revision Commission is repealed, and a new Section 1907 hereby establishing a Charter Revision Commission for the year 2004 is established as a fully amending Section 1907 of the Erie County Charter.
Section 2. CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION. That upon the adoption of this Local Law the County Legislature hereby creates a Charter Revision Commission to be established on or before April 15, 2004.
Section 3. THE PERVIEW OF THE CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION. The Charter Revision Commission shall study the operations of the County of Erie in their full scope; and shall consider the inter-municipal relations of the County of Erie and the myriad responsibilities that the County of Erie discharges in the course of its broadly defined duties to determine whether the Erie County Charter and the Erie County Administrative Code shall be further amended to render same as an effective framework for County government, and to adopt such amendments as may be necessary to facilitate the delivery of services to the public and to better coordinate the functions between departments and agencies of the County and the various Cities, Towns and Villages within the County. The Charter Revision Commission shall submit a final report, which shall include its findings, conclusions, and recommendations for appropriate action to the County Legislature and the County Executive on or before the 15th day of April, 2005.
Section 4. METHODOLOGY OF OPERATION. The Commission shall be provided with adequate funding for staff and costs incident to the discharge of its responsibilities as may be deemed necessary by the Erie County Legislature in the furtherance of its assigned duties.
Section 5. MEMBERSHIP. The Charter Revision Commission shall be composed of 23 members with one (1) member to be appointed by each District Legislator of the Erie County Legislature. The County Executive of the County of Erie shall appoint three (3) members, and the County Clerk, County Comptroller, County Sheriff, and the County District Attorney of the County of Erie shall have one appointee each to the Commission. In addition to the other designated appointment, the Chair of the Erie County Legislature shall also appoint the Chairperson of the Charter Revision Commission.
No member of the Commission shall hold public office or be an employee of the County during the term of his/her appointment.
Section 6. REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. The County Legislature shall act on all reports and recommendations submitted to it in a timely fashion by the Charter Revision Commission by either approving or disapproving each recommendation separately within three (3) months from the date of the submission of the findings, conclusions and report of the Commission.
GEORGE A. HOLT
LYNN M. MARINELLI
EDWARD KUWIK
MARK J. SCHROEDER
ALBERT DEBENEDETTI
DEMONE SMITH
RAYMOND DUSZA
TIMOTHY WROBLEWSKI
