Tribe's salaries on the rise
MASHPEE — For the second year in a row, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe plans to spend $12.7 million on its efforts to build a casino in Taunton, according to a copy of the tribe's 2014 budget proposal.
Most of that money will go to lawyers and consultants.
Deadline for Region C casino may be extended
With two possible commercial casino applicants still interested in Southeastern Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is considering extending the deadline for the region.
The commission is seeking public comments on extending the deadline for second-phase applications in Region C, as it's known in the 2011 legislation that legalized gambling in the Bay State, beyond July 23, according to commission spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll.
KG Urban Enterprises, which hopes to build a casino in New Bedford, is the lone official applicant for the commercial license. The company is still seeking to connect with a gambling partner for its proposal.
Meanwhile, the Connecticut-based Mashantucket Pequot Tribe is reviewing six possible locations provided by the Fall River Office of Economic Development, according to Ken Fiola, executive director for the city agency.
The commercial license could be influenced by a bid by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe to build a $500 million Indian casino in Taunton. That application is under federal review and faces significant legal hurdles, which is why the commission opened the region to commercial bids.
Anyone wishing to comment on the Region C deadline is asked to submit comments no later than 10 a.m. March 18.
Comments can be made by email to: mgccomments@state.ma.us.
GEORGE BRENNAN
If the budget is approved, the tribe's operational budget would drop $10.2 million overall to $14.8 million, even as tribe salaries double what was spent in 2013, according to the proposed budget. The decrease in costs appears to be because of the completion of the tribe's new headquarters on Great Neck Road South.
Tribal Council Chairman Cedric Cromwell would get a 3 percent bump in pay to $127,308. All eight of the tribal council members, who earn salaries totaling more than $575,000 annually, would get 3 percent increases under the proposed budget. Three members of the 11-member tribal council are unpaid.
It's unclear who else would benefit from what is an additional $2 million in salaries. There is a $500,000 line item titled "right-sizing" that a tribe source said is to boost salaries for tribe employees who are considered underpaid. There is also a $175,000 salary for a gaming commission executive director, which would be the tribe's highest paid individual, according to the budget.
The operational budget is heavily reliant on money from the tribe's casino investors, Arkana Ltd., a company owned by the same Malaysian family that owns Genting Group. Only $2.7 million comes from federal grant programs, according to the budget.
Cromwell could not be reached for an interview, said the tribe's spokesman, Paula Gates.
The budget is a rare glimpse at the spending of the tribe, which as a sovereign nation is under no obligation to release its budget plans to the general public. The Times obtained a copy from a tribe member. It is scheduled to be reviewed at a question-and-answer session Sunday and voted on March 30, according to the tribe's Facebook page.
The budget comes as the tribe's plans for a $500 million casino remain in the hands of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is reviewing the tribe's application to have 155 acres in Taunton and 171 acres in Mashpee taken into federal trust as the tribe's initial reservation.
It's a significant hurdle to the tribe's casino plans, although others, such as the compact with Gov. Deval Patrick, have been cleared.
Specifics of how the tribal gaming authority intends to spend the $12.7 million — a loan from its investors — is unclear. That budget is broken down only into a few line items with few details.
Consultants will earn $7 million, and $3.2 million will go to "legal," according to the budget.
"How can we vote on something when we don't know where the money is being spent?" said a tribe member, who asked that his name not be used.
The tribe member said he's hoping the tribal membership will reject the budget, even though it would hurt his own family. "Our spending is out of control," he said.
The tribe's $14.8 million general budget is broken down by category, with the biggest reduction being $9.3 million for construction services. Though the decrease is not outlined in any depth, the tribe has completed construction of its government offices at 483 Great Neck Road South, and some tribe offices have already moved into the building.
A formal dedication of the building is scheduled for March 29, Gates said.
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