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In November, the voters in the town of Ellicott will determine if council members should serve two additional years.
On Monday, the Ellicott Town Board approved Local Law No. 1 that proposes to extend council member term lengths from two years to four.
Pat McLaughlin, Ellicott supervisor, said the proposition will now be put before town residents during the general election Nov. 2 to determine if the term lengths should be extended.
"We are one of the few towns to have a two-year term for council members," he said.
McLaughlin said the other three town elected positions-- clerk, highway superintendent and supervisor -- all have four-year term lengths. Also, McLaughlin said there has been times when council members have worked on town projects and then had their terms expire before completion of the project.
"Historically, it takes time to have federal and state government projects you have planned for come to fruition. It makes sense for council members to witness what they have worked so hard for," he said. "I think this is why other towns have four-year term lengths."
In other business, McLaughlin said the board discussed the federal stimulus funding the town will receive from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Congress and President Joe Biden approved and signed into law last week. McLaughlin said the town, with a portion of the money also going to the villages of Celoron and Falconer, will receive $910,000.
"At this time we are not quite sure what the breakdown will be," he said about how much money the town and the villages will receive. "We're waiting to hear more from Sen. (Charles) Schumer on how these funds can be used as far as COVID relief is concerned."
McLaughlin said the federal stimulus funding is good news for all municipalities.
"Obviously, we're happy to receive anything. Again, it will depend on what municipalities can use if for. It is restrictive funding, not a free-for-all, which is understandable," he said. "It's based on the Census, so I'm sure they came up with the fairest way of sharing the funds. Like the saying goes, "I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth.'"