Monticello, NY – Legislators have agreed to set two public hearings for citizens to make their feelings known about potentially staggering the terms of members of the Sullivan County Legislature.
Recommended by the County’s most recent Charter Review Commission as a way to better ensure the smooth function and continuity of County government, the initiative – if approved by legislators – would work this way:
- Those elected to the position of Legislator in Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 in November 2023 would serve a one-time two-year term (January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025) instead of the usual four; thereafter, the position would revert to a four-year term, with subsequent elections for those districts held in 2025, 2029, 2033, etc.
- Those elected to the position of Legislator in Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 in November 2023 would serve the usual four-year term (January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027), with subsequent elections for those districts held in 2027, 2031, 2035, etc.
Nothing is changing for the upcoming 2019 election – the winners of all nine Legislator positions will serve four-year terms.
Hearings on the staggered terms proposal are scheduled for Thursday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m. and Thursday, March 21 at 9:40 a.m., both in the Hearing Room at the Government Center in Monticello. Legislators will then vote on whether or not to move forward with the plan.