CHENANGO COUNTY – Chenango County is starting to see some of the positive effects of casino gaming in New York State, having recently received its first allocation of casino gaming revenue.

In November, 2013, voters statewide approved a constitutional amendment to allow casino gaming in New York State. As a result, revenue from casino gaming is to be paid quarterly to counties and school districts for additional school aid, property tax relief, and local government aid.

In Chenango County, projected revenues are expected to reach nearly $272,000 by the end of 2014, according to the state Division of the Budget. Another $1.3 million is projected to be allocated to Chenango County school districts this year for school aid and property tax relief.

While schools in the county have yet to see a check, Chenango County Treasurer Bill Craine reported in May that county government has received its first check in the amount of $21,700. Craine said since the state’s casino gaming legislation wasn’t given a nod of approval until a judge signed off on the legislation in early March, money received by the county during the first fiscal quarter was collected in just over a month. Chenango will receive approximately 10 months of gaming revenue in 2014.

“It appears that the projection and what we received are tracking fairly carefully,” Craine said. The county is facing a likely tax cap of less than 1.4 percent for the 2015 fiscal year, so every bit of extra revenue is welcome news, he added. “We will use what we get the same way as our sales tax and tobacco settlement money – to keep the real property tax levy as low as possible.”