The Onondaga County Legislature on Monday approved a deal that would bring tobacco settlement money to the county in one lump sum, rather than smaller payments stretched over two decades. The measure passed by a vote of 16-5, with two members absent. Three states and 24 counties in New York have entered into similar deals. The county could use most of that cash to pay off 57 percent of its general fund debt by the end of next year. Proponent Martha Mulroy, R-Onondaga, who chairs the Ways and Means Committee, said the arrangement reduces future risks associated with the tobacco market.
Tobacco companies face more lawsuits and potentially fewer sales in future years.
Mulroy also said she fears that the federal government will find a way to dip into the county's settlement over the years. Opponent Mark Stanczyk, a Democrat, said his Republican colleagues were putting too much weight on short-term gains. Other opponents included Democrats Lovie Winslow, William Kinne, Clyde Ohl and Vicki Baker. The payments come from a 1998 agreement between 46 states and the District of Columbia and four major cigarette manufacturers. The companies agreed to pay the states billions of dollars to make up for past costs of smoking-related illnesses paid for with government health programs.