The county will have a public hearing at 7 p.m. Thursday to air ideas. The county's health department will hire a person to help curb tobacco and drug use, and the balance will be used to reduce taxes. Locally, health care and human service agencies should go to the front of the line when counties consider how to spend the large sums expected from the settlement. Putting the money toward building projects or tax relief is helpful to taxpayers but won't aid people with health care bills or overcome a smoking addiction. The health care and human service agencies have made reasonable requests.
More organizations are likely to ask for a share.
However, Otsego County Rep. Charles Bateman, R-Cooperstown, has a valid point that other spending options should be considered. My first thought is that we'd be better off investing most of this money until we've had time to really consider the best use for it. Bateman said the county made wise use of the money this year by applying it toward Medicaid expenses. Investing some money, as he suggested, is an appropriate step to take as the county considers how to spend the money. The reasons people smoke are many and varied, and there are many and varied ways to spend the settlement money.