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Putnam County committee pre-files Ag Navigator contract after debate over AFPB role
Summary
After hours of discussion, the Audit & Administration Committee voted to pre-file a $25,000 contract with Cornell Cooperative Extension for an Agriculture Navigation Program, adding a restriction that funds not be spent on AFPB-related work without AFPB request; the amendment passed with one Nay (Legislator Regan).
The Putnam County Audit & Administration Committee on April 27 pre-filed a resolution authorizing a $25,000 contract with Cornell Cooperative Extension to create an Agriculture Navigation Program intended to help farmers access resources, with a provision that funds cannot be spent on Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB) activities without the AFPB's request.
The program and its responsibilities were the focus of extended debate. Chairwoman Crowley said she "finds it to be a conflict of interest" for anyone in the navigator role to both advise applicants and later consider those applications in committee. Legislator Montgomery objected to language she said earlier committees had agreed to remove — specifically any role that would involve reviewing applications for inclusion in the Agricultural District. Commissioner of Planning Barbara Barosa said "intake" language had been removed and described the role as advising farmers about their ability to apply, not managing applications.
Brett Yarris, vice chair of the Soil & Water Conservation District board, urged support for the $25,000 allocation while warning the current draft differed from the AFPB-backed letter he helped craft. "This only adds to the ongoing dysfunction and chaos," Yarris said, arguing the funding was meant to expand educational programs without supplanting AFPB duties. Legislative Counsel Heather Abissi cautioned that if the navigator advised the public it could create a conflict if that person later advised the Legislature.
Legislator Birmingham proposed a "negative appropriation" to appropriate $25,000 from subcontingency while explicitly prohibiting use of the funds for AFPB work unless requested by the AFPB; County Finance Commissioner William Carlin confirmed the proposed restriction and said the intent was to allow Cornell to provide technical assistance while limiting overlap. Legislator Regan moved to table the item for revision (no second) and later opposed moving the resolution forward in concept, saying passing items in concept set a risky precedent.
After procedural attempts failed (a motion to pre-file the original resolution lacked a second), Legislative Counsel Abissi drafted language incorporating the negative appropriation. Chairwoman Crowley moved to amend the resolution as read and to pre-file the resolution as amended; both motions were seconded by Legislator Russo and carried, each with one Nay vote from Legislator Regan. The committee did not adopt a tabled delay; the amended pre-filing moves the item to the full Legislature agenda for a future vote.
The action creates a contractual list of responsibilities for the Ag Navigator to be included in Cornell Cooperative Extension's agreement with the county; committee members said the list can be amended in the future and recommended annual review.
The committee adjourned at 10:02 p.m.
