AUBURN - Lengthy discussion about a change in county operations is nothing unusual, according to Yates County Administrator Sarah Purdy.

"You're quite normal, in case no one's told you that," Purdy told Cayuga County legislators at Tuesday night's full Legislature meeting.

Purdy, who is also the president of the New York State Association of County Administrators and Managers and on the board of directors for the New York State Association of Counties, assured the legislators that the county's 19-month discussion about changing county administration is par for the course.

Yates County discussed adding Purdy's position for five years before doing so, she said.

Purdy appeared in front of the Legislature at the request of Michele Sedor, D-Sennett, and Peter Tortorici, R-Auburn, both supporters of a proposed local law to create the position of an appointed county manager.

At the meeting, the Legislature unanimously voted to hold a public hearing for the position 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27.

Before the vote, Purdy fielded questions from legislators and offered suggestions for how to formulate a new administrative position.

One concern she addressed was that of salary.

In the past, Tortorici has said that a manager in Cayuga County could earn between $80,000 and $100,000.

Purdy, who earns $85,000 after 11 years on the job, said that the Legislature could easily find a qualified candidate for around $80,000.

"Anyone eager to perform well and do a good job in public service is going to be interested in this," she said.

Purdy said that department heads employed with Yates County have said that an administrative position allows for better coordination between departments and fosters more efficiency. County administrators or managers can also head off fiscal or litigation troubles before they become problematic, she added.

Yates County has a population of 25,000 and 300 employees. Approximately 82,000 people live in Cayuga County, and there are 900 county employees.

The Yates County administrator position was created with a local law similar to the one being proposed by Cayuga County legislators.

Yet the idea that this position could be appointed by the Legislature - and not by public referendum - is still troubling for some legislators, according to Legislature Chairman Herb Marshall.

County attorney Fred Westphal has said that a public referendum is not a possibility with the current local law because it is creating an office, not changing the form of government.

But if the Legislature were to amend the law by transferring some of the legislators' powers to the manager, then a referendum would be required, he said.

Marshall said he is looking into that possibility.

He asked Westphal to find out the deadline for the Legislature to inform the board of elections if it wants to put something on the ballot.

"My view is that it's not going to get the two-thirds vote unless the vote is to put it on a ballot," Marshall said. "I'm just looking at trying to resolve the situation."

In other news:

- The full Legislature unanimously approved the Cayuga Community College budget of $22.9 million, an 8.1 percent increase over last year's numbers. The county's share of that budget is approximately $2.5 million, a 3 percent increase from 2004-05.

- After a short speech by a member of the Korean War Veterans Association, legislators approved the site for a Korean War memorial near the World War II memorial by the county courthouse.

The anticipated dedication date of the black-granite memorial is July 2006.

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