Casino news source: Ludington Daily News - http://www.ludingtondailynews.com
Casino resort expands
KEVIN BRACISZESKI - DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
MANISTEE TWP. — The property value of the Little River Casino Resort keeps growing as its size is being increased by 192 rooms and a 1,700-seat entertainment center. The amount of money collected by its slot machines has not been matching that growth rate, and Manistee County Administrator Tom Kaminski is concerned that the local revenue sharing funds provided by 2 percent of the slot machine profits may soon not be enough to cover local payments in lieu of taxes (PILT) and required public safety grants.
The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians — under terms of an agreement with the Michigan Legislature that allowed construction of the casino — is required to give local governments 2 percent of its slot machine profits and to give Michigan 8 percent of those profits.
The local money is overseen by the three-member Manistee Local Revenue Sharing Board. The board — which has representatives from the Manistee County Board of Commissioners, Manistee City Council and Manistee Township Board of Trustees — gives PILT money to local governments that would have been able to collect taxes on the casino if it was not held in trust for the tribe by the federal government, which cannot be taxed. The board is also required to give 12.5 percent of the money it receives in the form of local public safety grants.
It also receives many requests for grants from local governments and agencies, and gives money for some of those requests, providing there is money left over after the PILT and public safety funds are spent.
Tribal officials presented its latest local payment, $991,000, to Manistee County officials Friday. That represents 2 percent of a six-month period of slot machine profits.
The annual PILT payments during the November 2006 grant cycle period were $993,585 for Manistee Area Public Schools, $386,379 for Manistee County, $146,977 for West Shore Community College, $98,540 for Manistee Intermediate School District and $84,067 for Manistee Township.
The revenue sharing board may wait until it has received two six-month payments before making the PILT payments, but now the amount that would be left for the public safety grants and other grants is an unknown.
Little River Casino Resort Manager Jim LaPorte said there are no current plans to add more slot machine space at the casino during the expansion project, but he said the tribe hopes to attract more people to the resort when the expansion is completed. That could mean increased slot machine revenue from the people staying in the 192 new rooms. |
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