Agreement between Mashpee Wampanoags, Taunton City Council would protect bingo if casino comes to town
TAUNTON —
Although conventional wisdom may dictate that the prospect of a casino coming to town would hurt local churches and charitable organizations that bring in revenue through bingo games, those organizations could actually stand to see a modest increase in cash.
Under the terms of the intergovernmental agreement inked last year between the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Taunton City Council, the tribe would make payments to charitable bingo operations to offset a loss of revenue caused by a tribal casino, plus an extra 5 percent.
The arrangement calls for the tribe to pay each identified charity an annual sum that would bring each charity’s bingo revenue to 105 percent of its typical level.
The tribe added that provision to the intergovernmental agreement last spring after residents commenting at a public meeting raised concerns about the proposed casino’s potential impact on local bingo games, particularly at Our Lady of Lourdes School.
Under the arrangement, the city would present the tribe with a list of identified charities and accounting records to determine how much each charity brings in through bingo in a typical year. The tribe would then make annual payments to the charities to offset any loss in bingo revenue, bringing the charities’ total bingo revenue to 105 percent of their typical annual pre-casino take.
The charities must consistently run bingo games to be eligible under the terms of the agreement.
The Mashpee hope to build a $500 million resort casino on 146 acres in East Taunton. The proposal passed a citywide referendum last June, although many in that section of the city adamantly opposed the plan, raising concerns of negative impacts on safety, infrastructure and quality of life.
The amount the Mashpee would pay out to charitable bingo operations would be dwarfed by other payments the tribe would make to the city in exchange for agreeing to host the casino. The intergovernmental agreement, ratified last year by the Taunton City Council and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council, calls for the tribe to pay Taunton approximately $33 million in upfront infrastructure mitigation funds and an additional annual payment of nearly $13 million. Included in the annual payment is 2.05 percent of slot machine revenue, or a minimum of $8 million.
The tribe is currently awaiting a decision from the Bureau of Indian Affairs as to whether the federal government will take land in trust for the tribe to establish a reservation for the purpose of building a casino.
The Mashpee say they are working with Gov. Deval Patrick to negotiate a new casino compact between the state and tribe. The BIA rejected a previously agreed upon compact on the grounds that its revenue sharing provision was unfair to the tribe.
Under the terms of the intergovernmental agreement inked last year between the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Taunton City Council, the tribe would make payments to charitable bingo operations to offset a loss of revenue caused by a tribal casino, plus an extra 5 percent.
The arrangement calls for the tribe to pay each identified charity an annual sum that would bring each charity’s bingo revenue to 105 percent of its typical level.
The tribe added that provision to the intergovernmental agreement last spring after residents commenting at a public meeting raised concerns about the proposed casino’s potential impact on local bingo games, particularly at Our Lady of Lourdes School.
Under the arrangement, the city would present the tribe with a list of identified charities and accounting records to determine how much each charity brings in through bingo in a typical year. The tribe would then make annual payments to the charities to offset any loss in bingo revenue, bringing the charities’ total bingo revenue to 105 percent of their typical annual pre-casino take.
The charities must consistently run bingo games to be eligible under the terms of the agreement.
The Mashpee hope to build a $500 million resort casino on 146 acres in East Taunton. The proposal passed a citywide referendum last June, although many in that section of the city adamantly opposed the plan, raising concerns of negative impacts on safety, infrastructure and quality of life.
The amount the Mashpee would pay out to charitable bingo operations would be dwarfed by other payments the tribe would make to the city in exchange for agreeing to host the casino. The intergovernmental agreement, ratified last year by the Taunton City Council and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council, calls for the tribe to pay Taunton approximately $33 million in upfront infrastructure mitigation funds and an additional annual payment of nearly $13 million. Included in the annual payment is 2.05 percent of slot machine revenue, or a minimum of $8 million.
The tribe is currently awaiting a decision from the Bureau of Indian Affairs as to whether the federal government will take land in trust for the tribe to establish a reservation for the purpose of building a casino.
The Mashpee say they are working with Gov. Deval Patrick to negotiate a new casino compact between the state and tribe. The BIA rejected a previously agreed upon compact on the grounds that its revenue sharing provision was unfair to the tribe.
Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x846061447/Agreement-between-Mashpee-Wampanoags-Taunton-City-Council-would-protect-bingo-if-casino-comes-to-town#ixzz2LvJWd5ZC
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