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A766Assembly2025-2026 Session

Elect Town Comptrollers

Official title

“Makes the position of town comptroller an elected position in towns having a population of five hundred thousand persons or more”

Sponsor Michaelle C. SolagesAD-22Affects Local Government
Status
In Assembly Committee
Local Governments
Impact
6/10
Moderate
Passage
6%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Local Governments

What's happening

This bill requires that the town comptroller in New York towns with populations of 500,000 or more be elected for four-year terms.

Why it matters

  1. Shifts financial oversight power directly to voters. By making the town comptroller an elected position in large towns, this bill increases local democratic control over who manages and oversees town finances.

  2. Potentially increases comptroller accountability. A four-year elected term means the comptroller must answer directly to the public, not just town officials, which could strengthen financial transparency and responsiveness to residents' concerns.

  3. Impacts towns with significant budgets and populations. Only towns with over 500,000 residents are affected, meaning this targets some of the largest and most complex municipal budgets in the state, where comptroller decisions can have widespread effects on services and taxes.

  4. Changes current hiring or appointment practices. The bill overrides any existing laws or practices that made the comptroller a position filled by appointment or other means, ensuring that the selection process is uniform and subject to public vote.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Elect Town Comptrollers

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Michaelle C. Solages

Assembly Member · Assembly District 22

Chair, Local Governments

No co-sponsors yet.

History

  1. Referred to local governments
  2. Referred to local governments

Full text

1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

766

2025-2026 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)

January 8, 2025

Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Local Governments

AN ACT to amend the town law, in relation to making the town comptroller position an elected position in certain towns

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. The town law is amended by adding a new section 34-a to read as follows:

§ 34-a. Election of the town comptroller in towns having a population of five hundred thousand persons or more. Notwithstanding the provisions of section thirty-four of this article or any other general or special law, the position of town comptroller of towns having a population of five hundred thousand persons or more shall be filled by a vote of the eligible voters of the town at the first biennial town election held after the effective date of this section. The comptroller shall be elected for a four-year term.

§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD00352-01-5

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.