Public hearing on proposed amendments to Chautauqua County Charter.

Legal Notices 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that there has been adopted by the Legislature of the County of Chautauqua, New York on February 25, 2026, the following proposed local law bearing Introductory No. 1-26 (Print 3) which provides as follows:




Title of Proposed Local Law:




A LOCAL LAW AMENDING THE CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY CHARTER




Summary of Proposed Local Law:




The proposed Local Law would adopt certain amendments to the Chautauqua County Charter, in consideration of the recommendations of the 2025 Chautauqua County Charter and Code Commission. The proposed Local Law shall become effective sixty (60) days after adoption, or upon approval by a majority of the qualified electors in the event a permissive referendum is held in accordance with the Municipal Home Rule Law. The Local Law would amend several sections of the County Charter, summarized generally as follows.




Section 1.05, “Charter and Administrative Code Review Commission,” would be amended to state that: the Charter and Code Commission shall consist of up to five members appointed by the County Executive and up to five members appointed by the Legislature; any person shall have the right to make recommendations to the Commission; and the Commission’s report must be presented within twelve months of the Commission’s appointment. Further, the Legislature may amend the Charter after receiving the Commission’s report or at any other time in the Legislature’s discretion.




Section 2.01, “Changes in Districts,” would be amended to clarify that the bi-partisan committee appointed to evaluate County Legislative districts after each federal census may report that no changes to Districts are recommended.




Section 2.05 would be amended to: eliminate the Legislature’s power to adopt a six year capital plan; provide that adoption of the annual budget shall generally require a majority vote of Legislators; change the Legislature’s power to adopt a comprehensive financial policy and goals and objectives for use in budget formulation from mandatory to permissive; and clarify that the Legislature sets the salaries of officers and employees paid from both County and District funds.




Section 2.08, “Legislature Financial Analyst, Policy Analyst, and Counsel,” would be amended to provide that appointment of a Legislature Financial Analyst be optional in the discretion of the Legislature’s Chairman and Minority Leader.




Section 3.02, “Powers and Duties of County Executive,” would be amended to: clarify the County Executive’s responsibilities relating to “discretionary, organizational, supervisory and policy decisions of the Sheriff, District Attorney, County Clerk, and Board of Elections relating to the exercise of their substantive statutory authority”; add “Public Safety” as a fifth “general area” of the County’s executive branch of government; modify timing of certain budgetary procedures; remove Legislative approval requirement for coroners; and provide that the County Executive may transfer up to $10,000.00 of any unencumbered appropriation balance between four classifications of expenditure at the department head level in the budget when necessary to adjust proposed expenditures in the adopted budget.




Section 4.00, “Other Elected Officers,” would be amended to provide that elected County officials may transfer up to $10,000.00 of part or all of any unencumbered appropriation balance between four classifications of expenditures within the same administrative unit when necessary to adjust proposed expenditures in the adopted budget.




Section 4.04, “Internal and External Financial Audit Functions,” would be amended to clarify that the County’s chief fiscal officer is solely responsible for the internal financial audit function, subject to oversight by the Legislature’s Audit and Control Committee.




NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, that the County Executive will conduct a public hearing on the aforesaid proposed Local Law in Room 331, Gerace Office Building, Mayville, New York on March 13, 2026 at 9:15 AM, at which time all persons will be heard.




Olivia L. Lee, Clerk of the Chautauqua County Legislature

 Mar 5, 2026