Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Sullivan County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
8 issues in development with medium priority
Foster care provider agreements
The county will execute agreements with State-approved foster care service providers, moving to the full Legislature on September 17.
IDA closes on special-education preschool project in Liberty
The IDA closed financing last week on a special-education preschool outgrowing its White Sulphur Springs facility that will move to Liberty, retaining about 45 jobs and adding a few more in a high-need sector.
County-Town Communication Breakdown
Supervisor Scott Mace, speaking for Fallsburg, Liberty and several villages, asked the county to communicate earlier and more consistently about projects like fiber installation, homeless shelter siting and a waste-to-energy proposal. Chair Rajsz agreed and proposed monthly council-of-government meetings instead of the required quarterly ones.
Planning Department succession planning and reclassification
The county is restructuring Planning Department jobs to promote from within — a planner moves up to senior planner and a part-time account clerk becomes a research assistant, funded by eliminating the part-time position. It's being pitched as a retention and career-pathway model other departments could copy.
Ten-year lease of county land for private school
A proposal to lease 19.3 acres of county land behind the Sheriff's building for $750/month for ten years failed after legislators flagged the low rent, the site's emergency access road and communications tower, and the loss of future county options.
Charter Review Commission remote attendance dispute
The volunteer Charter Review Commission wants to meet by Zoom so members with jobs or health issues can participate. The board asked the County Attorney to review the rules and bring a resolution to the June 18 Executive Committee; open-meetings public comment requirements are a key sticking point.
Potential purchase of property from Saint Peter-Saint Anne of the Lake
The Legislature authorized a letter of intent to potentially buy real property from the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Peter-Saint Anne of the Lake Saint Joseph and Saint Joseph. A public commenter complained the letter of intent wasn't in the meeting packet and demanded transparency.
Public Works out-of-title reclassification
A DPW employee found to be working out of title gets their job description fixed going forward — but no back pay. Legislators accepted the prospective-only fix.