BY Stephanie Specchio
SCHUYLER COUNTY--There was no county administrator’s report at the Monday, July 10, Schuyler County legislature meeting as County Administrator Fonda Chronis was placed on administrative leave with pay earlier that day. According to Legislative Chairman Carl Blowers, the future “depends on where discussions go.” However, no details were disclosed or further comments given about the situation. Blowers will assume the county administrator’s official duties in the interim.
During the public comment period at this meeting, Lisa Duggan, from the County’s Opportunities, Alternatives and Resources (OAR) Office inquired about the status of the OAR contract. The current contract expires in 21 days and is required to remain in compliance with the Hurrell-Harring settlement. County attorney Steven Getman agreed to review the current contract and meet with Duggan to discuss it.
Schuyler County is one of five counties “under a microscope,” according to Duggan that must comply with the Hurrell-Harring settlement that mandated the counties improve delivery of public defense services in four key areas, including counsel at arraignment, caseload relief, initiatives to improve the quality of indigent defense and eligibility standards for representation. Under the terms of the settlement, the state is obligated to fund these initiatives, according to the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services website.
Duggan is an advocate for and provides support services for criminal defendants and their families. She serves people who are or have been incarcerated at the Schuyler County jail or are involved in the criminal justice system and live in Schuyler County, with the goal of providing programs that help restore and maintain clients’ inclusion in the community.
In other news, legislators resolved to hold a public hearing on Monday, Aug. 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the legislative chambers to amend a local law from 2021 that authorized 12- and 13-year-old licensed hunters to hunt deer with a firearm, including rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders, or crossbows during hunting season with the supervision of an experienced, licensed adult hunter. As proposed, the resolution will be in effect through 2025 and “in each and every subsequent calendar year in which the program remains in effect.”
SCHUYLER COUNTY--There was no county administrator’s report at the Monday, July 10, Schuyler County legislature meeting as County Administrator Fonda Chronis was placed on administrative leave with pay earlier that day. According to Legislative Chairman Carl Blowers, the future “depends on where discussions go.” However, no details were disclosed or further comments given about the situation. Blowers will assume the county administrator’s official duties in the interim.
During the public comment period at this meeting, Lisa Duggan, from the County’s Opportunities, Alternatives and Resources (OAR) Office inquired about the status of the OAR contract. The current contract expires in 21 days and is required to remain in compliance with the Hurrell-Harring settlement. County attorney Steven Getman agreed to review the current contract and meet with Duggan to discuss it.
Schuyler County is one of five counties “under a microscope,” according to Duggan that must comply with the Hurrell-Harring settlement that mandated the counties improve delivery of public defense services in four key areas, including counsel at arraignment, caseload relief, initiatives to improve the quality of indigent defense and eligibility standards for representation. Under the terms of the settlement, the state is obligated to fund these initiatives, according to the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services website.
Duggan is an advocate for and provides support services for criminal defendants and their families. She serves people who are or have been incarcerated at the Schuyler County jail or are involved in the criminal justice system and live in Schuyler County, with the goal of providing programs that help restore and maintain clients’ inclusion in the community.
In other news, legislators resolved to hold a public hearing on Monday, Aug. 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the legislative chambers to amend a local law from 2021 that authorized 12- and 13-year-old licensed hunters to hunt deer with a firearm, including rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders, or crossbows during hunting season with the supervision of an experienced, licensed adult hunter. As proposed, the resolution will be in effect through 2025 and “in each and every subsequent calendar year in which the program remains in effect.”
