LANSING, MI-- Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has said no to moving the Ojibwa Casino from Chocolay Township to Negaunee Township.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs had approved the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s plan to relocate the casino to the former Marquette County Airport site, subject to concurrence from the governor. But in a press release Tuesday the governor declined to concur.
However, Snyder indicated he was open to the relocation as part of a broader agreement between the tribe and the state. Potential points for an agreement include:
- Allowing local governments to have a say in the disposition of the 2 percent local casino revenue sharing payments
- The tribe entering into an agreement requiring tribal businesses to collect tax on transactions with non-Native Americans
- Working out a revised revenue sharing agreement so the tribe would continue to make some level of payments to the state, even if future gaming competition develops elsewhere. Currently the KBIC is the only tribe with gaming operations in Michigan that has an agreement that would stop revenue payments if state-authorized gaming were expanded in the state.
The release says despite invitations from the governor’s office the tribe declined to take part in discussions about a potential agreement.
The tribe may resubmit its proposal.
