Section 25. Oaths of office and undertaking  


Latest version.
  • Before he or she enters on the
      duties of the office, and within thirty days after the  commencement  of
      the  term  of  office  for which he or she is chosen, every town officer
      shall take  and  subscribe  before  an  officer  authorized  by  law  to
      administer oaths in his or her county, the constitutional oath of office
      and  such  other  oath  as  may  be  required  by  law,  which  shall be
      administered and certified  by  the  officer  taking  the  same  without
      compensation,  and  such  oath  shall be filed in the office of the town
      clerk. Each town justice shall also file such oath of office as provided
      pursuant to section one hundred four of the uniform  justice  court  act
      with the county clerk and the office of court administration.
        Each   supervisor,  town  clerk,  collector,  receiver  of  taxes  and
      assessments, town justice, constable, town superintendent  of  highways,
      and  such  other  officers  and employees as the town board may require,
      before entering upon the duties of his or her office, and within  thirty
      days after commencement of the term for which he or she is chosen, shall
      execute  and  file  in  the office of the clerk of the town, an official
      undertaking, conditioned for the faithful  performance  of  his  or  her
      duties,  in  such  form,  in such sum and with such sureties as the town
      board shall direct and approve and such approval shall be indicated upon
      such undertaking. Unless the town board of his or her town has  procured
      a  blanket  undertaking pursuant to subdivision two of section eleven of
      the public officers law that covers him or her, each town justice  shall
      also  file  such  undertaking as provided by section one hundred four of
      the uniform justice court act with the county  clerk.  Such  undertaking
      shall  not  be  recorded unless the town board of the town shall adopt a
      resolution so requiring and shall indicate such  requirement  upon  such
      undertaking.   The  undertaking  of  the  supervisor  shall  be  further
      conditioned that he or she will  well  and  truly  keep,  pay  over  and
      account  for  all  moneys  and  property, including any special district
      funds and the local school fund, if  any,  belonging  to  his  town  and
      coming  into his or her hands as such supervisor. The undertaking of the
      receiver of taxes and assessments shall be further conditioned  that  he
      or she will well and truly keep, pay over and account for all moneys and
      property  coming  into  his  or  her hands as such receiver of taxes and
      assessments, including all school district taxes, and  such  undertaking
      shall  be in lieu of any other bond or undertaking otherwise required by
      law in the collection of such  school  district  taxes  and  the  proper
      accounting   therefor,  except  the  undertaking  required  by  sections
      twenty-five hundred six and  twenty-five  hundred  twenty-seven  of  the
      education  law, and the trustees of every school district for which such
      receiver of taxes and assessments shall act as collector shall have  and
      may  exercise  the  same  powers  and  remedies  with  respect  to  such
      undertakings as is given them with respect to the official bond  of  the
      collector  by the provisions of article forty-three of the education law
      or by the provisions of any other general or special law. The town board
      at any time may require any such officer  or  employee  to  file  a  new
      official  undertaking  for  such sum and with such sureties as the board
      shall approve. In addition, the town board may require any town  officer
      depositing  funds  or  moneys  of  the  town  to  file a depository bond
      indemnifying the town against any loss thereof. The town  board  may  by
      resolution determine that any such undertaking or bond shall be executed
      by  a surety company authorized to transact business in the state of New
      York and the expense thereof shall be a charge  against  the  town.  The
      filing  of  such oath and undertaking, when required, shall be deemed an
      acceptance of the office. The town clerk shall notify the town board  in
      writing of the expiration of any undertaking or bond filed in his or her
    
      office pursuant to this section, at least thirty and not more than sixty
      days prior to the date of expiration thereof.
        A neglect or an omission to take and file such oath, or to execute and
      file  such  undertaking within the time prescribed herein, except in the
      case of town justices, shall be deemed a refusal to serve and the office
      may be filled as in case of vacancy. The undertaking of a  town  officer
      provided  by  this  section  shall  be  in  addition  to any undertaking
      otherwise required by law.