Yisroel R.

Rockland County voters will be asked to decide a wide-ranging set of proposed changes to the County Charter in the November 3 General Election, including changes to how major county contracts are approved, how appointments are confirmed, and how authority is divided between the County Executive and County Legislature. 

The County Charter serves as the basic framework for how Rockland County government operates. While many of the proposed amendments simply update outdated wording, remove contradictions, or formally put long-standing practices into the Charter, several would make more significant changes to the way county government conducts business. 

One of the biggest changes involves county contracts. Contracts of up to $100,000 would remain under the discretion of the County Executive, while contracts above $250,000 would require approval from the full County Legislature. Contracts between $100,000 and $250,000 could either go before the full Legislature or be approved unanimously by a new three-member Contracts Committee made up of the Legislature chairman, minority leader, and chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee. The County says the change is intended to speed up the contracting process while keeping legislative oversight in place. 

The amendments would also change what happens when the County Executive submits an appointment that requires legislative approval. Under the current Charter, if the Legislature does not approve or reject an appointment within 60 days, it is considered approved. Under the proposed change, it would instead be considered rejected. If the same person is nominated and rejected twice for the same position, that person could not be nominated again for that office during the remainder of the County Executive’s term. 

Other changes would give the Legislature clearer control over certain matters considered its own internal business. Several types of resolutions — including certain legislative grants, contracts for professional services used only by the Legislature, nonbinding resolutions, and resolutions authorizing lawsuits on behalf of the Legislature — would not be subject to a County Executive veto. The Charter would also formally recognize a Second Vice Chairperson and allow the Legislature to appoint its own Legislative Counsel. 

The proposal would also make several changes across county departments. It would raise from $1,000 to $5,000 the threshold involving corrections of improperly assessed property taxes, update the makeup and deadlines of the Capital Projects Committee, clarify appointments to county boards and commissions, and formally recognize the County Executive’s role as the county’s Tourism Promotion Agency. 

Changes are also proposed for the Human Rights Commission, with the Charter formally creating a Human Rights Department headed administratively by the Commissioner of Human Rights while keeping a 13-member Human Rights Commission. Other updates would remove the now-defunct Department of Hospitals from the Charter, allow the Sheriff to appoint additional undersheriffs when authorized through the county budget, and require the County Attorney and Public Defender to have at least 10 years of experience as admitted attorneys. 

The Rockland County Board of Elections has posted the full proposed amendments, the current County Charter, and a summary explaining the changes for residents who want to review them before voting. The General Election will be held Tuesday, November 3, with early voting running from October 24 through November 1.