S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5279
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 12, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. ABINANTI -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Local Governments
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the town law, in relation to holding the election of
   fire district commissioners on the same day as the election of  school
   board members
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 175 of the town law, as amended by
 chapter 334 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
   1. An annual election shall be held  in  each  fire  district  on  the
 [second  Tuesday  in  December,  except  that in the Ocean Bay Park fire
 district, the Lonelyville fire district, the Davis Park  fire  district,
 the  Cherry  Grove  fire district, the Fair Harbor fire district and the
 Fire Island Pines fire district, Suffolk county,  such  annual  election
 shall  be held on the second Tuesday in July, except that in the town of
 Salisbury, Herkimer county, such annual election shall be  held  on  the
 Tuesday next succeeding the first Monday in November from six o'clock in
 the  morning  until  nine  o'clock in the evening and except that in the
 Belfast fire district, Allegany county, such annual  election  shall  be
 held on the first Tuesday in December] SAME DATE AND AT THE SAME POLLING
 PLACE AS THE ELECTION OF SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF
 THE  MUNICIPALITY.  The  board  of  fire commissioners shall give notice
 thereof by the publication of a notice once in one  or  more  newspapers
 having  a  general circulation in the district. The first publication of
 such notice shall be not less than twenty-seven days and not  more  than
 thirty-four  days  prior to the date of such election. Such notice shall
 specify the time when and the place where such election  will  be  held,
 the  officers  to  be elected thereat and their terms of office, and the
 hours during which the polls will be open for the  receipt  of  ballots.
 The  secretary  of  such fire district shall, SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF
 THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, prepare the ballots for all  elections  of  fire
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD01323-01-1

 A. 5279                             2
 
 district officers and the polls shall remain open for the receipt there-
 of  at  all  elections of fire district officers from six o'clock in the
 [evening] MORNING until nine o'clock in the evening [and such additional
 consecutive  hours  prior  thereto as the board of fire commissioners of
 such district may have determined and specified in the  notice  thereof.
 The board of fire commissioners shall designate a resident fire district
 elector, who shall be a registered voter of the town, to act as chairman
 of  any  election of said district and shall designate not less than two
 nor more than four resident fire district electors, who shall be  regis-
 tered voters of the town to act as election inspectors and ballot clerks
 at  such elections. No elective officer of the fire district shall serve
 as such chairman or as an election inspector or ballot clerk. The  board
 of  fire commissioners may adopt a resolution providing that such chair-
 man, election inspectors and ballot  clerks  shall  be  paid  for  their
 respective  services  at  any  such  annual  election  or at any special
 election of the fire district. Such resolution, if  adopted,  shall  fix
 the  amount  of such compensation, as follows: if the hours during which
 the polls will be open for the receipt of ballots are from  six  o'clock
 in  the  evening  until nine o'clock in the evening, a sum not to exceed
 thirty-five dollars for each such official;  if  additional  consecutive
 hours  prior  to six o'clock in the evening are determined and specified
 in the notice of election, a sum not to exceed fifty  dollars  for  each
 such  official].    THE METHOD AND MANNER OF SUBMISSION, PREPARATION AND
 PROVISION OF BALLOTS AND BALLOT LABELS, USE OF VOTING  MACHINES,  QUALI-
 FICATIONS  OF VOTERS, CORRECTING REGISTERS, AND CONDUCTING THE ELECTION,
 CANVASSING THE RESULT AND MAKING AND FILING THE RETURNS, AND  ALL  OTHER
 PROCEDURES WITH REFERENCE TO THE SUBMISSION OF ANY VOTE, SHALL BE IN THE
 SAME  METHOD AND MANNER USED FOR VOTING IN THE SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION, OR
 AS CLOSE AS IS PRACTICAL, AS DETERMINED BY THE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS
 PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT ALL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH BALLOTS  AND  ANY
 ADDITIONAL  POLL  WORKERS NECESSARY FOR SUCH VOTE SHALL BE BORNE BY SUCH
 FIRE DISTRICT. THE LOCAL BOARD OF  ELECTIONS  SHALL  APPOINT  SUCH  POLL
 WORKERS  AS  DEEMED  NECESSARY  BY  SUCH BOARD AND SHALL PRESCRIBE THEIR
 DUTIES, TITLES, RANKS AND SALARY IN ACCORDANCE WITH  THE  PROVISION  SET
 FORTH IN SECTION 3-300 OF THE ELECTION LAW.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.