RESOLUTION NO. 194
A RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION 283 FOR 1992, AS SUBSEQUENTLY AMENDED, TO RESTORE THE COMMITTEE TO FILL VACANCIES IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 RELATED HEALTH EMERGENCY AND UNCERTAINTY IN THE BUDGETARY REALITIES CAUSED BY CURRENT THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
Introduced: 05/11/20
By Messrs. A. Joyce, Peter, O'Brien, Ricard and Ms. Willingham:
WHEREAS, By Resolution No. 283 for 1992, the Albany County Legislature created a Committee to Fill Vacancies, consisting of a representative from the County Executive's Office, County Comptroller's Office and Office of Employee Relations to determine whether vacant positions then existing or coming into existence should be filled while the County faced a substantial shortfall in revenues generated from local sales taxes due to a national recession, and
WHEREAS, Those same harrowing economic realities exist today as a result of the COVID-19 related global pandemic, and
WHEREAS, As recently as last year, the County and nation were on better economic footing, which caused the previous review of the Committee to Fill Vacancies to lapse, and
WHEREAS, At this critical time, this Honorable Body believes it necessary to take into consideration potential revenue shortfalls prior to the filling of any vacant County positions, and
WHEREAS, This Honorable Body recognizes the need to hire employees to fill critical and necessary positions, however, before a position is available to be filled, the decision to hire needs to be reviewed and approved by the Committee to Fill Vacancies for its approval, and
WHEREAS, Meaningful review of salary lines can occur without the need to place an official freeze on hiring within the County, and
WHEREAS, To sensibly effect such a review and approval process, the Committee to Fill Vacancies, as originally envisioned and set forth, needs to be expanded to include oversight so that the Legislature might perform its budgetary responsibilities to determine whether continued funding of vacant positi...
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