§ 575. County comptroller; term; vacancy. The office of county
comptroller may be created in any county upon the adoption of a
proposition submitted at a general election. The board of supervisors of
its own motion by local law adopted prior to September first in any
year, may create the office of county comptroller. Any such local law
shall be subject to a mandatory referendum. A copy of such local law
duly certified by the clerk of the board shall be filed forthwith with
the board of elections of the county which shall cause the proposition
to be submitted at the next general election occurring not less than
sixty days after the local law is filed with the board. Upon the filing
with the board of elections prior to September first in any year of a
petition duly signed and acknowledged or authenticated in the same
manner as a primary petition, by electors of the county equal to at
least five per centum of the total vote cast for governor in the county
at the last general election at which a governor was elected, praying
that the office of county comptroller be created in the county, the
board of elections shall cause the proposition to be submitted to the
electors of the county at the next general election following the filing
of the petition. The proposition shall be substantially in the following
form: "Shall the office of county comptroller be created in the county
of .......... ?" The proposition shall be submitted to the electors of
the county in the manner provided by this chapter for the submission of
a mandatory or permissive referendum. If the vote be in the affirmative,
at the first general election held thereafter there shall be elected a
county comptroller whose term shall be three years from and including
the first day of January following his election. Until such office be
abolished in the same manner as created, there shall continue to be
elected a county comptroller for the term of three years. The county
comptroller shall, before he enters upon the duties of his office, take
the constitutional oath of office and execute to the county and file an
official undertaking as provided in section eleven of the public
officers law. Any vacancy in the office of county comptroller shall be
filled by the governor in the same manner as other elective county
officers.