GOSHEN – The Rules Committee of the Orange County Legislature has approved creation of a public accountability officer-inspector general.

The full legislature must now vote on it; however, that won’t happen until February, at the earliest because of a state time requirement, and that will be by a new county legislature which will have several new members.

Michael Pillmeier, who is the current majority leader and is slated to be the new chairman, isn’t holding his breath as to if it will sail through with the new makeup.

“My take is that when it appears in February it’s going to be referred back to committee because you have better than a third change over in legislative makeup,” he said. “So, I would presume the new members are going to want to know what it’s about.”

The drive to establish the position was spearheaded by current legislature Chairwoman Roxanne Donnery, who will become a member of the Democratic minority in January, and Republican Frank Fornario, who did not seek re-election, but rather ran and won the town supervisor’s race in Blooming Grove.