The City of Annapolis has filed suit against Anne Arundel County, alleging the county has illegally withheld $9.2 million in tobacco tax revenues since 1965.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, claims the County Council abused its power in the mid-1960s when it repealed state laws that had required the county to turn over a portion of its tobacco tax receipts to the city.
"This issue has been handed down to us by legislative decisions made 30 years ago," City Attorney Paul Goetzke said in a press release. "The city is convinced it is entitled to these revenues, the county disagrees. We'll simply have to let the court tell us who is right."
County Attorney Judson P. Garrett said the dispute stems from the question of whether the county had the authority to repeal state laws. The county was granted that power in a 1961 state law that changed the way the tobacco tax revenues were distributed, he said.
The lawsuit was filed after meetings between Mr. Goetzke and Mr. Garrett failed to resolve the dispute.