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Firekeepers Casino Ready to Give to Local Governments

Posted on August 25th, 2010

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Local governments that host Firekeepers Casino have their pockets already ready this coming week as the casino prepares to dole out allocations to the local coffers. This should prove to be a relief for local government units like Battle Creek, which have faced serious budget concerns due to lack of cash in their coffers. The local Revenue Sharing Board of Firekeepers has finally finished calculating the first round of payments it should be paying and has given the go signal to the board’s authorized treasurer, Jim Dyer, to write the checks. The entire process has taken three months, and on Monday, the board also approved the final request for reimbursement of costs brought about by the casino, as well as the payout of funds to give to governments which cannot tax the casino, as it is a tribal and sovereign one.

The beneficiaries of these payments, namely the local governments, are eying the money to be allocated as for closing the gaping budget deficits they are experiencing mainly due to ailing economic conditions. The superintendent of community schools in Harper Creek, John Severson, was quick to acknowledge the benefits the money will bring to the communities that will receive it and where the money will go – to balance the budget. Harper Creek will be the largest beneficiary of casino revenue, with the figure amounting to $597,219. Severson adds that the funds will be of great help in making sure that there will be no layoffs in schools and for the current programs to not be discontinued. At least $150,000 of the funds to be allocated to the schools will be ear marked to improve school structures in the future.

Funding for the LRSB is currently derived from 2 percent of profits from the annual slot machine profits of the casino from Emmett Township. This yearly allocation is required by law brought about by a compact between the tribal owners of the casino (the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi) and the state. The casino only opened last year, August 5, and has so far given the LRSB $1.93 million for the four remaining months of 2009. November saw the starting of the board meetings regarding the allocations and requests began to be accepted and considered in May. On Monday, the most talked about of the requests submitted was finally settled as the LRSB approved $118, 475 for Emmett Township, which is more than $26,000 less than what the township originally asked for. The difference would be covered by the tribe after negotiations come to an agreement among the parties, as the township put forward a previous contract with the tribe that they would provide the casino police services.

Emmett Township also had to shoulder $2,855 in legal expenses spent on behalf of the LRSB, which the LRSB did not offer to reimburse. Only one member of the board, the supervisor of Emmett, Gene Adkins, voted against a lesser amount to be awarded to Emmett, thus the difference had to be shouldered by the tribe. The allocation of funds had to be decided in a unanimous vote by the board. Disbursement formulas that have been determined before took effect after the request from Emmett was approved. The amount for the year is calculated at $1.13 million. The remainder of $283,049 would be divided among the closest schools and governments to the casinos and the Athens Township reservation of the tribe. $14,154 was kept by the board for use in the future.

$344,839 in casino money has been allocated to the Calhoun County Road Commission, an entity that has not seen any increases in its revenue for more than a decade already. Kevin Henning, the commission’s managing director, claims it will use the money to buy eight plow trucks. He claims that the commission’s trucks are already aging and they have had difficulty securing new ones because of the budget needed. Meanwhile, Emmett Township still has to decide on the details of how to spend their money.