Effort to give Legislature more fiscal muscle fails

An attempt by some Ulster County lawmakers to force County Executive Michael Hein to get legislative approval before transferring money from one budget line to another fell flat Tuesday evening when a majority of legislators voted against even holding a public hearing on the proposal.

Legislator David Donaldson, who authored the proposed local law, said the change would “create a transparent budgetary process.” Others, though, said requiring the executive to seek legislative approval to move money between budget lines could hinder the administration of county government.

“One of the reasons the voters elected a county executive and elected to go with a county executive form of government was so government could act quickly, and government can’t act quickly in some of these cases if we have to wait a month to make a budget transfer,” said Legislature Chairman Ken Ronk, R-Wallkill.

Republicans had proposed amending the measure to allow the transfers to occur if notice first was given to the Legislature chairman and minority leader and neither objected. If either did object, the measure would then go to the full Legislature for consideration.

Donaldson, D-Kingston, called Ronk’s contention that government would be hindered “absurd” and said failure to act would weaken the legislative body.

“I understand many of you want this body to be weak because you don’t want to do anything,” he said.

All Republican lawmakers, along with Chris Allen, D-Saugerties, voted against the measure. Richard Parete, a Stone Ridge Democrat who caucuses with Republicans, voted in favor of the measure.

Donaldson proposed the local law in the wake of Democrat Hein moving money from a personnel line to cover the cost of a county mailing days before the November 2016 referendum on a proposal to move Ulster County Family Court from the city of Kingston to the town of Ulster. Donaldson opposed the relocation and unsuccessfully sued in an attempt to block the vote. Voters overwhelmingly approved the move.

Donaldson also filed a complaint against Hein with Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright, claiming the mailing “was an effort to promote his opinion against all others,” and a misappropriation of funds. Carnright responded that there was “no evidence of criminality that would warrant my office’s involvement.”

Deputy County Executive Ken Crannell said the county spent about $16,400 on the countywide mailing, which he said was part of the county’s outreach and education plan.