MAYVILLE – The Chautauqua County Legislature will be able to continue taking money out of its fund balance with a simple majority vote. That after lawmakers defeated a local law amendment last night in Mayville that would have required a 2/3 vote by the legislature for any future appropriations of the county’s unappropriated fund balance.
The amendment failed by just two votes – with the vote being 12 against and 11 in favor. One of the amendment’s sponsors – Keith Ahlstrom (D-Dunkirk) – did not attend last night’s meeting. Also absent was Mark Tarbrake (R-Lakewood).
Among those against the amendment was minority leader Lori Cornell (D-Jamestown), who said that if the amendment had been in place last month, the county would not have been able to allocate $50,000 to help with the removal of weeds on Chautauqua Lake. Meanwhile, Chuck Nazzaro (D-Jamestown) disagreed with Cornell, explaining that unless it is an absolute emergency, the fund balance should be left untouched. He added that a 2/3 majority would ensure such use of the fund balance was necessitated by an emergency.
The amendment – which was cosponsored by majority leader Larry Barmore (R-Gerry) – was in reaction to efforts by lawmakers in recent months to use money from the county fund balance to help pay for various projects. One of those projects involved $1.36 million as a matching grant for the county home, while another involved $50,000 for the removal of weeds on Chautauqua Lake. While future fund balance appropriations still only need a simple majority to be approved, the county executive still has the right to veto any appropriation by the legislature – in which case a 2/3 vote would be required to override such a veto.
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