[Amended 4-1-2011 by L.L. No. 8-2011]
The County Executive shall be elected from the
County at large in an even numbered year for a term of four (4) years
commencing on the first day of January immediately following his or
her election. He or she shall serve a maximum two (2) consecutive
full terms. At the time of nomination and election, the County Executive
shall be, and he or she shall remain, a qualified elector of Putnam
County. He or she shall hold no other elected public or elected political
office during his or her term and shall devote his or her full working
time to the duties of the office. He or she shall be the highest paid
salaried County employee with the exception of those County employees
required to be duly licensed to practice medicine in the State of
New York as a qualification of employment, the District Attorney or
any other employee whose salary is partially or fully set by state
law. The compensation of the County Executive shall not be decreased
during his or her term of office.
[1]
Editor's Note: Local Law No. 20-2001 provided
that this section shall become effective 1-1-2003.
[Amended 3-24-2022 by L.L. No. 5-2022]
The County Executive shall be responsible for the proper administration
of all County affairs placed in his or her charge. He or she shall
have and exercise all the powers and duties now or hereafter conferred
or imposed on him or her by law or this Charter or the Administrative
Code. Among such powers and duties, but not by way of limitation,
the County Executive shall:
(a)
Execute and enforce all laws and resolutions of the County Legislature;
(b)
Exercise supervision and control over all administrative departments,
offices and agencies of the County government and prescribe the internal
organization of such departments, offices and agencies;
(c)
Be the Chief Budget Officer of the County and be responsible for
the preparation of the operating and capital budgets of the County
in the manner provided by this Charter and the Administrative Code
to execute the same in accordance with the resolutions and appropriations
made by the County Legislature;
(d)
Be responsible for keeping the County Legislature fully advised as
to the financial condition;
(e)
Appoint, supervise and terminate, except as otherwise herein provided,
all executive committees, commissions and boards to assist him or
her in exercising his or her executive functions in the planning,
formulation and administration of executive programs;
(f)
Appoint without confirmation by the Legislature, to serve at his
or her pleasure, such assistants and employees of this office as may
be authorized by the County Legislature;
(g)
Make, sign, and implement all contracts on behalf of the County within
authorized appropriations or involving expenditures of County funds,
which power may be delegated for specific matters;
(h)
Approve or disapprove the sufficiency of sureties on official bonds
and undertakings;
(i)
Approve or disapprove in writing every proposed local law and resolution
and the County budget by specified items, subject to provisions of
§ 3.04 of this Charter;
(j)
Supervise and exercise control over all central administrative services
for the County government, including data processing, tabulation,
mail and the messenger service, printing and reproduction, and telephone
and related support services;
(k)
Make such recommendations to the County Legislature with respect
to the affairs of the County and its government as he or she may deem
appropriate;
(l)
Declare the existence of emergencies affecting the life, health or
safety of the inhabitants of the County and, except as otherwise provided
by law, exercise all the powers and duties necessary for the protection
thereof; notice of any such emergency shall immediately be given to
the Legislature;
(m)
Perform such other duties and have such other powers as may be prescribed
by law or by the County Legislature and have all necessary and incidental
powers to perform and exercise any of the duties and functions specified
or lawfully delegated to him or her;
(n)
Make any study or investigation in the best interests of the County,
including but not limited to any study or investigation of the affairs,
functions, accounts, methods, personnel or efficiency of any department,
office or agency under his or her jurisdiction and in furtherance
of his or her executive functions;
(o)
Make available to the Legislature or any Committee of the Legislature,
upon request of the Clerk of the Legislature, department heads to
advise or discuss any program or issue that currently or potentially
affects the operation of that particular department.
[Amended 12-4-2007 by L.L. No. 15-2007]
The County Executive shall appoint all County
departments and administrative units not administered by elected officials
except as otherwise provided by law or this Charter. Appointments
shall be subject to the confirmation of the County Legislature, as
specified in this Charter.
All appointments by the County Executive shall be made in writing and filed in the office of the Clerk of the County Legislature within ten (10) days after such appointment is made or in the case of an incumbent appointee within ten (10) days of the County Executive's new term. Appointees requiring confirmation shall not take office until such confirmation is voted or the time limit for rejection has passed, as provided in § 2.08 hereof.
[Amended 7-2-2002 by L.L. No. 7-2002; 3-24-2022 by L.L. No. 6-2022
Unless otherwise provided in this Charter, every resolution
adopted by the County Legislature, except resolutions establishing
the rules and regulations of the Legislature and other matters pertaining
solely to the conduct of its own procedures, shall be submitted to
the County Executive for his or her action within five (5) days after
passage.
Within ten (10) days after receipt of the original enactment
as passed by the County Legislature, he or she shall take action approving
or vetoing the same.
(a)
Approval. In the event of approval by the County Executive,
he or she shall endorse the original document and return it to the
Clerk of the County Legislature within ten (10) days.
(b)
Veto. If vetoed by the County Executive, he or she shall so
indicate in writing, setting forth his or her objections to the legislation,
and within ten (10) days after receipt thereof return the original
document to the Clerk of the County Legislature with his or her veto
message attached.
(c)
Failure to act. If within the ten-day limit the County Executive
shall fail either to approve or veto an enactment as provided above,
such enactment shall take effect in due course without his or her
endorsement.
(d)
Reconsideration. A vetoed enactment shall be resubmitted to
the County Legislature together with the veto message at its next
regular or special meeting, and such message shall be entered into
its Book of Proceedings. Within thirty (30) days after such receipt
and entry, the County Legislature may consider the vetoed enactment
and pass the same over the County Executive's objections by a
favorable vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the whole of its number on a
roll-call vote. Only one such reconsideration vote shall be taken
on any single vetoed enactment.
[Amended 3-24-2022 by L.L. No. 7-2022]
Every local law adopted by the County Legislature shall be submitted
to the County Executive for his or her action within five (5) days
after passage. Prior to any action by the County Executive and not
later than twenty (20) days after receipt of the local law, a public
hearing shall be held by the County Executive on public notice of
at least five (5) days.
Within twenty-five (25) days after receipt of the original enactment
as passed by the County Legislature, he or she shall take action approving
or vetoing the same.
(a)
Approval. In the event of approval by the County Executive,
he or she shall endorse the original document and return it to the
Clerk of the County Legislature within twenty-five (25) days.
(b)
Veto. If vetoed by the County Executive, he or she shall so
indicate in writing, setting forth his or her objections to the legislation,
and within twenty-five (25) days after receipt thereof return the
original document to the Clerk of the County Legislature with his
or her veto message attached.
(c)
Failure to act. If within the twenty-five-day limit the County
Executive shall fail either to approve or veto an enactment as provided
above, such enactment shall take effect in due course without his
or her endorsement.
(d)
Reconsideration. A vetoed enactment shall be resubmitted to
the County Legislature together with the veto message at its next
regular or special meeting, and such message shall be entered into
its Book of Proceedings. Within thirty (30) days after such receipt
and entry, the County Legislature may reconsider the vetoed enactment
and pass the same over the County Executive's objections by a
favorable vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the whole of its number on a
roll-call vote. Only one such reconsideration vote shall be taken
on any single vetoed enactment.
[Amended 3-24-2022 by L.L. No. 8-2022]
The County Executive shall designate in writing
within thirty (30) days of assuming office an appointed head of a
department or division to perform the duties of the County Executive
during his or her absence from the County or his or her inability
to act for any reason. Such written designation shall be filed with
the Clerk of the County Legislature and may be changed by the County
Executive at any time by a new designation filed with the said Clerk.
In the event that no Acting County Executive has been so designated,
or that he or she is unable to serve during the absence or disability
of the County Executive, the Chair of the County Legislature shall
designate the appointed head of a County department or division to
perform such duties.
If a vacancy occurs in the Office of County
Executive, it shall be filled at the next general election for the
remainder of the unexpired term. Pending such election, the County
Legislature shall designate any qualified elector of the county to
serve as County Executive.
Pending the designation of a County Executive
by the County Legislature, the Acting County Executive shall serve.
