NORWICH – Chenango County lawmakers charged with overseeing safety and rules procedures have requested legal opinions on two matters pertaining to rules of the board.

The Safety & Rules Committee adopted a resolution Jan. 19 to move a referral from Town of Plymouth Supervisor Jerry Kreiner to County Attorney Richard Breslin’s office for direction. Kreiner’s referral was to require that appointments made by the board chairman be on supervisors’ desks a certain number of days in advance of taking action on them.

Kreiner’s action comes after lengthy discussions in committee and on the board floor during 2011 budget-making time regarding Chairman Richard B. Decker’s appointment of Matt Beckwith to Emergency Management Services Director and Fire Coordinator at the beginning of last year. The appointments led to a vacancy in the Chenango County Public Safety Facility’s Dispatch Center, where Beckwith formerly worked, and, subsequently, to Sheriff Earnest Cutting’s recent request to fill the position.