NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — The State of New York has sent some the emergency aid it promised, to help cash-strapped Niagara Falls amid the state's simmering dispute with the Seneca Nation of Indians.
That dispute has resulted in the city not receiving its share of casino revenues for more than two years.
Under the casino compact, the Senecas sent a portion of their slot revenues to New York State, which in turn sent a portion of that to cities that host Seneca casinos, the largest being in the Falls.
But after the Senecas claimed the compact no longer required them to pay up in 2017, they stopped.
Though an arbitration panel ruled early this year in favor of the state, and determined it was owed a quarter billion dollars, the Senecas continue to refuse to fork it over. That has left the Falls tens of millions of dollars short and on the brink of a financial crisis.
Governor Cuomo last year pledged to send the city up to $12.3 million this year to help tide things over, and just sent the first $5 million of that.
Niagara Falls city councilman Kenny Tompkins was among those who was pushing hard for the state to come through.
According to Tompkins, the state -- providing that it someday gets paid by the Senecas -- will then deduct whatever emergency aid it ends up sending, from whatever the city's share is at that time.
That's why he says that instead of requesting the full $12.3 million pledged by the state, the city will instead draw down on that amount on an as-needed basis.
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