Putnam legislators take no action on proposed inter-municipal agreement with Orange County

CARMEL – The Putnam County Legislature has taken no action on a proposal initiated by Orange County allowing for inter-municipal licensing between the two counties for reciprocal Master Electrician licensing.
Discussion at Monday’s Rules Committee meeting of the legislature centered around a November 20, 4-3 vote of the Electrical Board of Putnam County which narrowly approved the proposal.
Committee members Legislators Neal Sullivan, Toni Addonizio and Carl Albano were concerned by the closeness of the board’s vote and the fact that three other members of the 10-member board failed to cast ballots.
John Morrison, another member of the board, charged that the proposal was not a “fair deal since requirements were not the same. Putnam’s are more stringent and besides, the cities of Middletown, Newburgh and Port Jervis each have their own license requirements when it comes to electrical contractors.”
Sullivan agreed with Morrison and said he was “not in favor since we in Putnam want to protect our residents. Besides, Putnam would have to negotiate in order to make reciprocity with the three cities in Orange not covered.”
Addonizio chimed in that the inter-municipal licensing would have no advantage for Putnam since Orange County’s population is four times that of Putnam.”
Legislator Ginny Nacerino questioned “If this is not advantageous to Putnam, why should we get involved? The idea has originated in Orange County. How often will Putnam contractors travel to Orange for work?”
Legislator Paul Jonke described the suggestion as a “bad deal for Putnam.”
Legislator Amy Sayegh and Legislator Chairman Joe Castellano queried their colleagues by asking, “Wouldn’t this be advantageous for Putnam’s tradesmen since they would expand their customer base?”
But Nacerino charged such an agreement would be unfair for Putnam’s electricians since “out-of-towners would be coming into Putnam and taking business away from local taxpayers.”
Following a 30-minute discussion, the committee decided to take no action on the proposed inter-municipal agreement unless additional interest is shown on the part of local contractors.