The state then reimburses the counties over time as federal funds are received.

The state reimbursed the town for 75 percent of that cleanup cost.

They also fear that the state will not reimburse them enough to cover the cost of compliance.

The city has already spent $40 million on these 33 schools, expecting that the state would reimburse them with federal grant money.

The state would then reimburse the local governments for the difference above the 1998 property tax rate.

Part of the problem, the report said, is that most states reimburse local departments and communities only for money they have already spent.

Under the bill, the state would reimburse local governments for future tax increases.

The state will reimburse the district $72 million for the repairs.

The state is reimbursing the town for only about $22,000 of those expenses, he said.

Even better, he added, is that the state reimburses the local schools for the lost tax revenue.