Franklin County Legislature elects 2016 leadership, adopts rules of procedure

The Franklin County Legislature convened its January 7 organizational meeting in Malone and elected D. Billy Jones as chairman for 2016 and Barbara Rice as vice chairwoman. Guy H. Smith was selected as Majority Leader and Paul A. Maroun was named Minority Leader. Clerk Gloria J. Valone opened the session and read the official notice of the meeting.

The board unanimously adopted Resolution No. 1, the 2016 Rules of Procedure, which set quorum requirements, established the board’s regular meeting schedule (first and third Thursdays at 11:30 a.m.), described committee structure and jurisdiction, and specified public-notice practices tied to Section 151 of the County Law and Public Officers Law Section 103(e). The rules also define committee appointment processes, quorum rules for committees, and a rolling order for roll-call votes during the year.

Chairman Jones distributed committee assignments for six standing committees — Administrative; Economic Development & Planning; Public Works & Services; Finance; Human Resources; and Public Safety — and designated chairs. The board also named official newspapers for 2016 (The Malone Telegram for Republican committee notices; The Adirondack Daily Enterprise for Democratic committee notices) and completed routine organizational items before adjourning.

The rules adopted on Jan. 7 govern how the Legislature will refer matters to committees, the process for introducing and amending resolutions, and procedures for calling special meetings. The adoption was unanimous; no substantive debate or roll-call divisions were recorded. The Legislature recessed and later convened regular and special meetings that continued to use the adopted rules for conducting business.