Residents, former officials urge supervisors to put Local Law No. 7 to voters

Dozens of residents and former officials urged the Warren County Board of Supervisors on Thursday to stop short of passing Local Law No. 7, a proposal to create a Department of Finance and an appointed commissioner of finance. Lainie Morgan, a Warren County resident, told the board the proposal "places substantial financial responsibilities in a newly created commissioner of finance who would be appointed by, report to, and be accountable only to the board of supervisors," and said that close questions about whether the change triggers a mandatory referendum must be resolved first.

Kimberly Davis, a former Clinton County treasurer who drove two hours to speak, said elected treasurers provide an independent check on legislative bodies and that voters elected Christine Norton countywide "to safeguard taxpayer money." Kevin Louis Brandt, an attorney representing the treasurer, told the board that under New York Home Rule Law §23‑f, “when you curtail her powers… it has to go to mandatory referendum,” and warned skipping a referendum could provoke litigation in Albany’s appellate division and years of delay.

Treasurer Christine Norton responded at length, calling the SACS review that prompted the proposed restructure "not an audit" and saying some claims were "unverified and uncorroborated." Norton disputed that Arrow Bank warned her office about fraudulent ACH activity and urged the board to fix countywide controls rather than diminish the treasurer's statutory authorities.

Other commenters raised legal and practical concerns about the draft law's language. Ed Larkin and others cited specific sections that, they said, would create overlapping responsibilities on investments, debt administration, banking and reporting—positions that could put an appointed commissioner in operational conflict with statutorily mandated treasurer duties. Dozens of public speakers called for tabling the measure until the new board is seated in January or until the legal question about a referendum is settled.

The board opened the hearing after the clerk read the notice of proposed local law and allowed three‑minute comments; the public hearing was later closed and the board continued with its agenda. The transcript records multiple appeals from residents and experts for either a public referendum or clearer statutory language before any change to the treasurer’s role takes effect.