In about three weeks Ulster County voters will be asked to cast their vote to decide whether or not to change the very structure of their local government. But most eligible voters are unclear, unfamiliar or even unaware of the proposed Local Law #2 that will appear on the ballot on Tuesday, November 7.

On Monday, October 16, Dr. Gerald Benjamin, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at SUNY-New Paltz and head of the commission that recommended the change to this form of charter government, spoke in the community room at the Ellenville Public Library.

At A Glance: Local Law #2 – The Ulster County Charter Accountability: The county executive will be elected by popular vote by all Ulster County for a term of four (4) years. Full-Time Oversight: A full-time county executive would ostensibly be able to focus on governing, allowing part-time legislators to focus on other concerns. He/She will also be in charge of appointing department head with the advice and consent of the Legislature. Legislature: The County Legislature will reduce its membership from 33 to 23. A single member will represent each district. Independent Legislative Districting Commission: The legislature will no longer design its own districts. An apportionment committee will be selected that will reapportion districts. Apportionment: Recommendations are to respect and create legislative districts with town boundaries in mind. However, as the districts are population based, an area with a high population density may be divided among more than one legislator and an area of low population density may find itself represented by someone representing most or all of another township. Periodic Reconsideration Of Document: The Legislature has the right to amend the charter at any time but the charter requires that the Legislature review the document after the first five years and every ten years after that. Ulster County Comptroller: Eliminates the position of Treasurer and creates a county officer in charge of auditing county expenses and avoiding cost overruns, i.e. the new Ulster County Jail. The position will carry a term of four (4) years.

Dr. Benjamin opened the meeting with a defense and explanation as to how his committee had come to the conclusions that it had as well as elucidate some of the points that casual observers may have missed.

Benjamin began by saying that, "This decision is the single most important home rule decision that the county can make." He then continued by providing some details about Ulster County, both past and present.

In 1968, when the current quasi-parliamentary form of government was adopted, Ulster County had a budget of $18.6 million. Today, Ulster County has a budget of $310,000,000, employs roughly 2,000 people and levies $65,000,000 in taxes. With these numbers, Benjamin argued that, "Part-time government doesn't work anymore. The rapid growth and change that is occurring requires a full-time government."

Benjamin, when pressed about the expense or savings of moving to the proposed charter, was not willing to give a number. However, he did supply some spending figures that compared Ulster County with eight counties that currently have county executives. The figures he provided showed that per person, counties with executives from 1994 to 2003 were spending $23.00 less than Ulster County. While that might not mean much, when one considers that Ulster County is home to 180,000 residents, the total in spending savings comes to $4.1 million.

One of the last points Dr. Benjamin made in favor of the charter was the fact that, "180,000 people do not have a single, clear voice representing them in Albany." To get a handle on some the basic changes that would occur, the Ellenville Journal has put together a quick reference of major changes that any voter should be aware of before he/she steps into the voting booth.

For more information, check out www.co.ulster.ny.us/charter.html.

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