What's happening
This bill lets the towns of Ellington and Charlotte share one elected town justice for both courts.
Why it matters
Directly impacts residents of Ellington and Charlotte (Chautauqua County),. potentially changing how local justice is administered and how accessible the town courts are for people in these communities.
Represents a major change in local court staffing,. eliminating one elected justice position in each town and consolidating the role, which may streamline operations but could also affect case handling speed or local representation.
Follows a formal local process (study, public hearing, joint resolutions),. so the change reflects input from both town governments and the community, but also sets a precedent for how small towns might address declining resources or caseloads in the future.
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Who cares
Residents of Ellington and Charlotte
Community members who rely on their local courts for justice services will be directly affected by the consolidation, potentially experiencing changes in court accessibility, scheduling, and local representation.
Town Justice Candidates and Incumbents
Current town justices may lose their positions, and future candidates will compete for a single judgeship instead of two, altering local political and professional opportunities.
Local Government Officials (Town Boards, Administrators)
These officials are stakeholders because the shift may impact the administration of justice, budgeting for court operations, and coordination between the two towns.
Legal Professionals and Law Enforcement in Chautauqua County
Attorneys, law enforcement, and court staff who work in these courts will need to adapt to new procedures, case assignments, and potentially altered workloads as a result of the merger.
Headline styles
Share One Town Judge
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to rules
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.627
- Rules report cal.627
- Reported
- Reported referred to rules
- Reference changed to ways and means
- Referred to local governments
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Share Town Justice Position
In Senate Committee · Local Government · Sponsor George Borrello
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
11483
IN ASSEMBLY
May 27, 2026
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Molitor) -read once and referred to the Committee on Local Governments
AN ACT to authorize the towns of Ellington and Charlotte in Chautauqua county to elect a single town justice to preside in the town courts of such towns
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Pursuant to section 106-b of the uniform justice court act, the towns of Ellington and Charlotte in Chautauqua County have conducted and completed a study, each town having adopted a joint resolution providing for the study, conducted a public hearing upon the findings of the study, and adopted a joint resolution adopting such plan providing for the abolition of existing town justice positions in the towns of Ellington and Charlotte and providing for the election of a single town justice to preside in the town courts of such towns. The town justice elected pursuant to this plan shall preside in the towns of Ellington and Charlotte following the next general election in such towns and shall preside for the year term as elected.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15616-01-6
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.