City Councilor Dave Pottier, third, from right, asks Attorney Sid M. Froelich, third from left, a question during the meeting.
Taunton —
After hours of testimony, questioning and public input, city councilors said Thursday that they would wait a little longer before voting on whether to ratify the casino agreement between Taunton and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe.
“For me, I think tonight is a fact-finding mission…” Councilor A.J. Marshall said. “There may be some concerns brought up that I’d want to research, the administration would want to research or our consultants.”
Some councilors discussed the possibility of holding a vote next week on the intergovernmental agreement between the city and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. The agreement cannot go into effect without the council ratifying it.
The City Council met Thursday in a special meeting at Taunton High School to discuss the intergovernmental agreement and solicit public input. The meeting had not finished by press time.
The intergovernmental agreement, or IGA, calls for the tribe to provide Taunton with $33 million in mitigation and infrastructure payments, followed by annual payments of approximately $13 million in exchange for agreeing to host the casino.
Voters will now have their say on June 9, when a citywide referendum on the casino proposal is scheduled. Although the vote is technically nonbinding, Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr. has said he would withdraw his support of the casino should the ballot question fail to pass.
“If the referendum doesn’t pass, it’s over,” said Sid Fraelich, one of the city’s legal consultants.
City Council President Ryan Colton recused himself from the meeting because his father-in-law’s company, B&D Construction, owns property that the tribe has an option to purchase. The state ethics commission informed him that he could not participate, he said.
Many supporters of the casino tout it as a potential source of employment with the promise to revitalize the struggling economy. Many of those opposed, however, question the potential public cost in terms of quality of life.
A considerable number of casino opponents voiced concerns over increased traffic, decreased safety, potential negative impacts on residential property values and the casino’s proximity to East Taunton Elementary School.
“I’m pretty sure that if the situation were different, the city would not choose to build an elementary school at a resort location,” Donna Faulkner said during public input.
More than 30 speakers signed up to give input during the meeting, which lasted more than four hours. At one point during a recess, City Councilor Donald Cleary got into a heated exchange with Tony LaCourse, the chairman of anti-casino group Preserve Taunton’s Future.
“For me, I think tonight is a fact-finding mission…” Councilor A.J. Marshall said. “There may be some concerns brought up that I’d want to research, the administration would want to research or our consultants.”
Some councilors discussed the possibility of holding a vote next week on the intergovernmental agreement between the city and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. The agreement cannot go into effect without the council ratifying it.
The City Council met Thursday in a special meeting at Taunton High School to discuss the intergovernmental agreement and solicit public input. The meeting had not finished by press time.
The intergovernmental agreement, or IGA, calls for the tribe to provide Taunton with $33 million in mitigation and infrastructure payments, followed by annual payments of approximately $13 million in exchange for agreeing to host the casino.
Voters will now have their say on June 9, when a citywide referendum on the casino proposal is scheduled. Although the vote is technically nonbinding, Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr. has said he would withdraw his support of the casino should the ballot question fail to pass.
“If the referendum doesn’t pass, it’s over,” said Sid Fraelich, one of the city’s legal consultants.
City Council President Ryan Colton recused himself from the meeting because his father-in-law’s company, B&D Construction, owns property that the tribe has an option to purchase. The state ethics commission informed him that he could not participate, he said.
Many supporters of the casino tout it as a potential source of employment with the promise to revitalize the struggling economy. Many of those opposed, however, question the potential public cost in terms of quality of life.
A considerable number of casino opponents voiced concerns over increased traffic, decreased safety, potential negative impacts on residential property values and the casino’s proximity to East Taunton Elementary School.
“I’m pretty sure that if the situation were different, the city would not choose to build an elementary school at a resort location,” Donna Faulkner said during public input.
More than 30 speakers signed up to give input during the meeting, which lasted more than four hours. At one point during a recess, City Councilor Donald Cleary got into a heated exchange with Tony LaCourse, the chairman of anti-casino group Preserve Taunton’s Future.
Faulkner and others said they thought the use of phrases such as “good faith” in the IGA would be difficult to enforce.
“My concern is I’m unsatisfied with the way the IGA is written,” she said. “While I’m getting some satisfactory answers, it’s not in the writing.”
Fraelich said “good faith” has an accepted standard meaning in legal jargon and is enforceable.
During public input, Fraelich said in a response to a question that given the timetable set forth in the expanded gaming legislation, it would be impractical to change the IGA at this point.
“All our input is for naught,” Brian Kennedy said. “Our concerns are heard, but we can’t put our concerns into law. That is insane.”
The tribe announced in February that it is pursuing a destination resort casino in East Taunton and has acquired an option to purchase land in Liberty and Union Industrial Park. The Mashpee have not publicly ruled out acquiring additional land, including the nearby Silver City Galleria mall.
The Mashpee are partnered with casino developer Arkana Limited, a privately held company wholly owned by the Malaysia-based Lim Family Trust. Trust member PK Lim serves as president and CEO of casino and resort developer Genting Berhad, a publicly held company of which Lim has majority control.
Tribal officials propose to build the casino over a five-year period in phases at a cost of more than $500 million. They have said the project will include a 150,000-square-foot casino, multiple restaurants, 10-15 retail shops, three 300-room hotels, an event center, a four-deck parking garage and a water park.
While many speakers during public input opposed the proposal, some endorsed it.
“I think it’s a terrific deal for the city,” Rick Cross said. “We’re missing out if we don’t sign onto this. This is an opportunity that comes around once in a lifetime.”
Some said they were worried about the casino market getting oversaturated and questioned how economically viable a Taunton casino would be.
“Does anyone know what happens when you pour more water into the Kool-Aid?” asked Brian Parker. “It dilutes it. It doesn’t taste good.”
Before being allowed to build a tribal casino, the Mashpee are required to negotiate a compact with the governor, have the compact approved by the state legislature, the get a trust lands application approved by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, a process that could take years.
The City Council is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday.
http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x1832946152/Taunton-City-Council-postpones-casino-IGA-vote?zc_p=0
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment