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League of Women Voters asks Saratoga County Board to form charter commission; supervisors defend current government
Summary
The League of Women Voters of Saratoga County asked the Board of Supervisors to appoint a charter commission to review county governance; board members responded that the current supervisor-based structure has served the county and explained the petition route available to voters.
Linda McKinney, co‑president of the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County, urged the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors on May 20 to appoint a charter commission to examine alternatives to the county’s current form of government and recommend one legislative and one executive structure.
McKinney told the board the league mailed and emailed a letter asking the supervisors to reexamine governance, noting that a previous 1987 commission issued a 113‑page report and that the county still operates under a structure that dates to 1791. "We are currently operating under the same form of government that we had in 1791," McKinney said, arguing the county should reassess governance as population and budgets grow.
The request matters because New York law allows either the legislative body to create a charter commission or voters to force the question. McKinney outlined the voter petition route: a petition must contain signatures equaling at least 10% of the total number of voters in the last gubernatorial election; if filed and the legislative body does not adopt a resolution to create a commission within three months, the question must be submitted to voters at the next general election occurring not less than five months after the petition filing. If voters approve formation, the board must appoint the commission within two months of the referendum.
The board did not vote to create a commission at the meeting. In response to McKinney’s request, the chair of the board defended the current structure, saying the supervisor model helps reduce silos between municipalities, supports shared services such as the county animal shelter and sewer district, and has produced low per‑capita spending and low county taxes. "We are the lowest tax county in New York State," the chair said, adding that supervisors bring municipal experience to county decision‑making.
No formal action was taken on the league’s request during the public‑privilege period. The letter from the League of Women Voters was entered into the record and forwarded to supervisors.
