MONTICELLO, NY — Sullivan County will hold a public hearing on September 5 about a proposal to stagger the years legislators are up for election.

The county’s Charter Review Commission has repeatedly recommended against having all nine legislator positions up for election in the same year, warning about “a loss of institutional knowledge and a steep learning curve” if all were replaced at the same time.

If the legislature agrees in a vote next month, the proposal will be put to the voters this November. The proposal would ask voters to approve a change to the charter stipulating that, in the next legislature election in November 2027:

• Four positions would be up for vote for a three-year term (January 2028 to December 2030); and 
• Five positions would be up for vote for a five-year term (January 2028 to December 2032). 

After those terms run out, all nine positions would revert to four-year terms. Voters will then pick legislators every two years, thus staggering legislators’ terms of office.

The county charter now requires that all nine legislator seats be put up for vote every four years. New York state now mandates that some local elections occur only in even-numbered years as the most efficient way to split up the positions.

Next steps

• The public weighs in—A public hearing on the proposed local law will be held at 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, September 5, in the Hearing Room of the Sullivan County Government Center, 100 North Street, Monticello. Anyone who wishes to speak or hear about staggered terms is welcome. Members of the public may also submit their comments in writing at any time before the meeting to Annmarie Martin, the clerk of the legislature, by mail (100 North Street, Monticello, NY 12701), or by email (annmarie.martin@sullivanny.us).
• The legislators vote—At a special meeting immediately after the public hearing, legislators will decide whether to put the idea to voters.
• The voters decide—If voters approve this change, legislators will conduct a random selection, such as picking names out of a hat or drawing straws, to determine which positions will be up for three years and which will be up for five years. If most voters say no, there will be no change.