BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON -- St. Lawrence County has seen a drastic reduction in Worker Compensation debt in recent years thanks in part to a two-fold process that has cut trailing liabilities by $26 million. 

In 2015, St. Lawrence County had a $48 million tail of liabilities tied to Worker Compensation payouts. 

That debt continued to grow until County Attorney Steve Button and his office tackled the debt to reduce the county's exposure to liabilities. 

Button told legislators during the Aug. 3 Full Board meeting the plan to tackle the debts were necessary as the accumulation from claims grew each year. 

Button told North Country This Week that many claims were continually being paid on every year, but offering one-time lump sum payouts has reduced the debt dramatically. 

"As we know, each claim carries a tail, or a long term exposure. Over time, those exposures or debts continued to accumulate. Over time we have been able to chip away at that exposure with a combination of increased on-hand cash reserves, as well as targeted indemnity payments," Button said. 

To calculate how payouts are factored, a formula that includes the average life expectancy of the individual claimant, coupled with the average weekly wage, degree of disability and minimum or maximum are factored to reach the payout figures. 

Button said the county has instead made lump sum payments to clear the debts. 

"In many cases we assess how long payments have been made, among many other factors, and come to a figure that represents less than what the total of payments were be over the life expectancy of the claimant. Many times that figure is agreed upon and allows the county to decrease the tail," he said. 

Though the County Attorney's Office has played a big role in decreasing the debt, Button said the Treasurer's Office has been in lockstep with his office. 

"Under Treasurer Renee Cole and her office's strategic investment strategy the county has been able to raise cash-on-hand reserves from $3 million in 2015 to more than $8 million as of 2025. Those funds are crucial to paying for the trailing liabilities," he said. 

Button said the county would continue to tackle the debt with targeted indemnity payments. 

"We have made great progress in the last ten years and have created a sustainable model that allows the county to tackle these liabilities. We will continue the work with the Treasurer's Office to reduce it even further," Button said.