Agreement reached between Oneida County and the Oneida Indian Nation
Story Created:
May 7, 2009 at 3:10 PM EST
Story Updated:
May 8, 2009 at 10:41 AM EST
VERONA, N.Y. (WKTV) - The terms of the agreement have not yet been announced, but Oneida County officials say a deal has been reached in principle with the Oneida Indian Nation. An assistant at the county executives office says the deal includes "all issues regarding the nation and the county".
A news conference has been scheduled for Friday, to release the details, said an assistant at the Oneida County Executives office.
The proposed deal comes several months after Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, and Oneida Indian Nation CEO Ray Halbritter, have been negotiating in private.
Any deal reached will still have to be approved by the Oneida County Board of Legislators and some aspects may need state approval, said Picente.
Initial reaction from state lawmakers was mixed Thursday night.
Republican Assemblyman, David Townsend of the 116th District says, "If the tentative agreement does not protect the tax payers, because it does not recoup all the money lost over years, then Tony Picente did not do the right job for the county tax payers."
Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito says, "I have always believed that negotiations had to begin at the local level with regard to property taxes and land into trust. I applaud the county executive for his effort to bring about resolution to this long-standing conflict in our region."
NEWSChannel 2 will carry Friday's news conference live at 2 p.m.
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