AUBURN - For more than a year and a half, Cayuga County legislators have researched, reviewed and revised their opinions on changing the form of county governance.

And now, despite a split vote on the floor Tuesday night, a proposal for the creation of an administrative assistant to the chairman of the Cayuga County Legislature will be the subject of a public hearing scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 26.

"I'm looking forward to the public hearing because I think it's absolutely critical to hear what the public has to say," said Bill Catto, D-Auburn.

However, the Legislature came close to not going forward with any discussion at all. Ray Lockwood, R-Aurelius, put a motion on the floor to table the vote, and six other Legislators sided with him.

"There are more questions than answers here," Lockwood said. "We know where we want to be, but this isn't going to get us there. We're either going to have a county manager or we're not."

The motion to table failed 8-7; Chairman Herb Marshall cast the deciding vote. Marshall doesn't support the creation of an administrative assistant but said he wanted to vote on the matter so that the public could get involved.

In the proposed local law, the administrative assistant would be charged with a variety of duties, including assisting with the development of the county budget, helping the chairman to coordinate legislative procedures and making recommendations for increasing efficiency in county government.

The purpose of the position is to strengthen the Legislature and to provide the county someone with professional and management experience, said Peter Tortorici, R- Auburn.

The vote for the public hearing passed despite concerns about the proposed law, which includes an unspecified salary and mandates that the individual have a college degree.

Lockwood and George Fearon, R-Springport, voted against holding the hearing.

"I really have faith that the people of this county would support a manager," Fearon said.

After the public hearing, legislators can choose to vote on whether or not to create the position. A two-thirds vote is required to pass the law.

In other news:

The Legislature voted 8-7 to decommission six sheriff's vehicles. In a separate resolution, legislators approved the purchase of two new marked patrol vehicles.

Sheriff Rob Outhouse will have to choose four vehicles to eliminate by July 15. When the two new cars arrive, Outhouse will have to identify the other two.

Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net