BILL NUMBER: S9309

SPONSOR: STEWART-COUSINS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the village law and the public officers law, in relation
to qualifications to hold certain positions in the village of Scarsdale

 
PURPOSE:

To allow for certain positions in the Village of Scarsdale to be filled
by individuals residing outside of the Village.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Section 3-300 of the village law is amended by adding a new
subdivision 32 to provide that notwithstanding any provisions of this
chapter or any other chapter, general law, local law, ordinance, or
special act, the village board of trustees of the village of Scarsdale,
Westchester county, may, by resolution, provide that the office of court
clerk, building inspector, assistant building inspector, village clerk,
assistant village clerk, village treasurer, assistant village treasurer,
              

assessor, village engineer, or village planner of such village may be
held by a person who is not a resident of such village, provided that
such person resides within Westchester county or an adjoining county
within the state of New York, except that the village treasurer may also
reside within Dutchess county.

Section 2. Section 3 of the public officers law is amended by adding a
new subdivision 72 to provide that in the village of Scarsdale, West-
chester county, the provisions of this section requiring a person to be
a resident of the political subdivision or municipal corporation of the
state for which he or she shall be chosen or within which his or her
official functions are required to be exercised, shall not prevent a
person from holding the office of court clerk, building inspector,
assistant building inspector, village clerk, assistant village clerk,
village treasurer, assistant village treasurer, assessor, village engi-
neer, or village planner, provided that such person resides within West-
chester county or an adjoining county within the state of New York,
except that the village treasurer may also reside within Dutchess coun-
ty. Provided, however that persons performing the functions of such
appointed positions in any other municipality shall be a resident of
such municipality unless otherwise provided by an act of the state
legislature.

Section 3 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The Village of Scarsdale has recently undergone some turnover in
appointed positions. The Village's experiences in trying to locate qual-
ified personnel to fill those vacancies have taken a toll in terms of
time, finances and overall staff morale. The requirement that appointed
positions be filled with residents of Scarsdale is incongruous in
today's housing market. Housing continues to be more unaffordable rela-
tive to income. Aside from this economic disparity, we are seeing more
and more instances post-pandemic where viable candidates simply do not
wish to work on a fulltime basis and or work remotely. All of this
limits the ability of the Village to attract the most qualified candi-
dates, particularly here in Westchester County where competition is
strained, and geographic scope is largely limited to begin with. By
allowing the Scarsdale Court Clerk, Building Inspector, Assistant Build-
ing Inspector, Village Clerk, Assistant Village Clerk, Village Treasur-
er, Assistant Village Treasurer, Assessor, Village Engineer, and Village
Planner, to reside outside the Village of Scarsdale, but within West-
chester County, an adjacent county to Westchester in New York, and in
Dutchess County, there is more of an opportunity to recruit and retain
qualified candidates.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.