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Suffolk County, NY
 
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (2) Index
A. 
The Charter provided in this Act shall be submitted for adoption to the electors of the County at the general election to be held in the year 1958. Electors residing in the County who are qualified to vote therein for members of the Assembly shall be qualified to vote on such question in the election districts in which they severally reside.
B. 
The Board of Elections of the County shall cause a notice of the referendum on this Charter to be published in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the County for a period of three consecutive weeks immediately preceding the election and may also publish such notice for such periods and in such newspapers as it may determine. The Board of Elections shall provide the ballots, blanks, supplies and other voting facilities for such referendum. The question shall be submitted, the votes counted, returns made and results canvassed and certified, so far as practicable, in the manner provided by law for the submission in the County of questions decided by the voters of the state; and the Board of Elections, inspectors and clerks of elections and other officers shall have and perform the duties imposed on them regarding the submission of such questions. The results shall be canvassed and certified by the Board of County Canvassers of a general election. The expense of submitting such questions shall be a County charge.
This Charter, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, shall become effective and shall be the charter of government for Suffolk County when adopted by a majority of the electors of Suffolk County voting at a general election held in said County. At the time of such general election, the question of the adoption of this Charter shall be stated as follows: "Shall the County Charter for Suffolk County provided by Chapter 278 of the Laws of 1958 be adopted and become operative in Suffolk County?"
[Amended 5-25-1964 by L.L. No. 2-1964; 8-11-1969 by L.L. No. 17-1969;[1] 8-11-1970 by L.L. No. 23-1970[2]]
This Charter, as an alternative form of government for the County of Suffolk, may be amended in accordance with the State Constitution, applicable statutes and the provisions hereof, provided that §§ C1-7, C1-8 and C21-6 may be amended only upon mandatory referendum.
[1]
Editor's Note: This local law was approved at referendum 11-4-1969.
[2]
Editor's Note: This local law was approved at referendum 11-3-1970.
A. 
If this Charter is not adopted at the general election in 1958, it may be submitted to the electors of the County for adoption by resolution of the County Legislature at any subsequent general election held not less than 120 days after a copy of such resolution, duly certified by the Clerk of the County Legislature, shall be filed with the Board of Elections of the County.
B. 
If this Charter is not adopted at the general election in 1958, it shall also be submitted to the electors of the County for adoption if a petition requesting its submission and signed by resident electors of the County qualified to vote at the last preceding general election, equal in number to 5% of the total vote cast in such County for the office of the Governor at the last general election at which a Governor was elected, is filed with the officer or board having jurisdiction of elections in such County not less than 120 days prior to the general election at which it is to be submitted.
The term of an office of an elective County official shall not be abridged by reason of the approval of the adoption of this Charter or any question submitted to the voters pursuant to this Charter. If an elective official is continued in office after his office is abolished, he shall perform such duties during the remainder of his term as may be assigned to him by the County Executive.
A. 
Nothing herein shall be deemed to affect, impair or supersede the provisions of the Suffolk County Tax Act, the Suffolk County Improvement Act or any local laws of the County, except to the extent that they are amended, modified or superseded by this Charter.
B. 
The adoption of the Charter herein provided shall not affect or impair:
(1) 
Any pending action or proceeding, civil or criminal, but the same may be prosecuted or defended in the same manner and with the same effect as though this Charter had not been enacted.
(2) 
Any contract or act done or offense committed or right accruing, accrued or required or liability or penalty or forfeiture or punishment incurred prior thereto, but the same may be enjoyed, asserted, enforced, prosecuted or inflicted as fully and to the same extent as if this Charter had not been enacted.
This Charter shall be liberally construed to effectuate the objects and purposes thereof and the public policy of the state as hereby declared.
If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section or article of this Act or the Charter provided herein shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, section or article thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment shall have been rendered.
A. 
If the Charter provided by this Act is adopted in the County pursuant to this Act, it shall take effect on the first day of January of the year following the election of the County Executive as provided in Subsection B of this section.
B. 
If this Charter is adopted pursuant to this Act, the election of the County Executive shall take place at the general election in the next succeeding odd-numbered year thereafter.
C. 
Except as provided in Section 1202 of this article, the Police Department shall become activated and function on the first day of January next succeeding the election of the County Executive as provided by Subsection B of this section.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: This reference has been made inappropriate by revisions to the Charter subsequent to the inclusion of the reference. The subsection should probably read as follows: "Except as provided in Section 1202 of the original Suffolk County Charter as promulgated in Chapter 278 of the Laws of 1958, the Police Department shall become activated and function on the first day of January next succeeding the election of the County Executive as provided by Subsection B of this section."
This Act shall take effect immediately.
[Added 5-26-1987 by L.L. No. 23-1987; amended 10-5-2021 by L.L. No. 26-2021]
A. 
All policy-making commissions, boards, agencies, councils and other public bodies or public entities created by the County of Suffolk shall permit members of the public at large to address such boards, councils, commissions, agencies and other public bodies or public entities prior to the taking or completion of any formal action by such commissions, boards, agencies, councils, entities or bodies, during any meeting which must be open to the general public under the open meetings provisions of Article 7 of the New York Public Officers Law. These requirements shall not apply to bodies created by the County of Suffolk which are solely advisory in nature.
B. 
Each policy-making board, council, commission, agency and other public body or public entity covered by this law shall adopt its own time limit regarding the period of time during which such members of the public may address said boards, council, commission, agency, entity or body, except that no such rule or regulation shall provide for less than three minutes for public participation per individual. Bodies created by the County of Suffolk which are solely advisory in nature may adopt rules for public participation in accordance with this paragraph, at their own election.