LAC DU FLAMBEAU - Members of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians voted in a special referendum on Wednesday, to move forward with the trust land application for an off-reservation gaming facility in Shullsburg.
The official ballot question was: Do you approve of putting the Shullsburg land into trust for gaming?
The vote was 217 in support of the question and 141 opposed. Turnout was termed as "average" by election officials. The inclement weather may have played a factor, according to Joseph Hunt, tribal spokesperson.
Citizens of Shullsburg continue to support the project, according to Hunt. A referendum in Shullsburg, held prior to an application in 2003, passed by 87 percent.
Tribal representatives plan to meet with Shullsburg Mayor Tom Lethlean next week.
Chairman Tom Maulson thanked voters and renewed the tribal council's pledge for open government.
"We are committed to transparency and will follow the mandate of the people," he said, "and the people have told us to move forward."
The Lac du Flambeau originally filed an application with the federal government for a casino in Shullsburg in 2003. That application was rejected by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in 2008, after a rules change.
Last year, the BIA rescinded the rules, and tribes are once again submitting trust land applications for gaming purposes. A formal Lac du Flambeau working group studied the feasibility of a new application.
Project Work Group Lead Duane Chapman said he was glad to be moving forward.
"One thing that we learned while preparing for the referendum was just how big a challenge this will be," said Chapman. "The next steps in the process will be re-commissioning the work on the environmental impact study and redoing the application. We've also got to get together with Mayor Lethlean and Shullsburg," he added.
The purpose of the Shullsburg Gaming Work Group was to prepare detailed information regarding the opportunity for an off reservation facility in Shullsburg. The findings of the work group were presented to tribal members in a series of six informational meetings and at two public hearings. The decision to proceed was answered via the tribal referendum.
Since the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, Indian gaming has become the single most effective model to build tribal economies, nationwide, according to the Tribe's website. Indian gaming has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry annually, which employs hundreds of thousands of Indians and non-Indians alike.
"The Tribe has long believed that building an off reservation casino can go a long way toward helping us meet our unmet needs" said Maulson. "That is why we originally submitted a fee to trust land application for a casino in Shullsburg."
Written into IGRA was a stipulation that permitted, under very specific circumstances, tribes to locate Class III casinos off of the reservation.
From 1988 to 2011 only three tribes were successful in gaining this special approval, though many, including the LDF Tribe, had applied. Many applications were submitted but were not finalized at the Washington BIA.
In 2008, the BIA rewrote the criteria for approval and summarily dismissed or denied applications the day after the new rules took effect. The LDF Shullsburg application was one of them. However, as a result of nationwide criticism by tribal leaders and no doubt helped by lawsuits by tribes, the Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, in June of 2011, rescinded the rules change and the process has begun to move forward again. Two applications have since been approved, two have been denied, and more are under consideration.
In December of 2011 LDF Tribal Leaders decided to take a fresh look at the Shullsburg application and a working group was formed. By March 2012, the tribe authorized the submission of a new Shullsburg Casino Fee to Trust application. A very careful study of the project began, and also, due to drastic changes in the economy, a new feasibility study. The short term goal of the work group was to thoroughly assess the Shullsburg Casino opportunity and to present its findings to the membership.
Periodic project updates are available on the tribal website at ldftribe.com; click on the Shullsburg link.
The official ballot question was: Do you approve of putting the Shullsburg land into trust for gaming?
The vote was 217 in support of the question and 141 opposed. Turnout was termed as "average" by election officials. The inclement weather may have played a factor, according to Joseph Hunt, tribal spokesperson.
Citizens of Shullsburg continue to support the project, according to Hunt. A referendum in Shullsburg, held prior to an application in 2003, passed by 87 percent.
Tribal representatives plan to meet with Shullsburg Mayor Tom Lethlean next week.
Chairman Tom Maulson thanked voters and renewed the tribal council's pledge for open government.
"We are committed to transparency and will follow the mandate of the people," he said, "and the people have told us to move forward."
The Lac du Flambeau originally filed an application with the federal government for a casino in Shullsburg in 2003. That application was rejected by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in 2008, after a rules change.
Last year, the BIA rescinded the rules, and tribes are once again submitting trust land applications for gaming purposes. A formal Lac du Flambeau working group studied the feasibility of a new application.
Project Work Group Lead Duane Chapman said he was glad to be moving forward.
"One thing that we learned while preparing for the referendum was just how big a challenge this will be," said Chapman. "The next steps in the process will be re-commissioning the work on the environmental impact study and redoing the application. We've also got to get together with Mayor Lethlean and Shullsburg," he added.
The purpose of the Shullsburg Gaming Work Group was to prepare detailed information regarding the opportunity for an off reservation facility in Shullsburg. The findings of the work group were presented to tribal members in a series of six informational meetings and at two public hearings. The decision to proceed was answered via the tribal referendum.
Since the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, Indian gaming has become the single most effective model to build tribal economies, nationwide, according to the Tribe's website. Indian gaming has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry annually, which employs hundreds of thousands of Indians and non-Indians alike.
"The Tribe has long believed that building an off reservation casino can go a long way toward helping us meet our unmet needs" said Maulson. "That is why we originally submitted a fee to trust land application for a casino in Shullsburg."
Written into IGRA was a stipulation that permitted, under very specific circumstances, tribes to locate Class III casinos off of the reservation.
From 1988 to 2011 only three tribes were successful in gaining this special approval, though many, including the LDF Tribe, had applied. Many applications were submitted but were not finalized at the Washington BIA.
In 2008, the BIA rewrote the criteria for approval and summarily dismissed or denied applications the day after the new rules took effect. The LDF Shullsburg application was one of them. However, as a result of nationwide criticism by tribal leaders and no doubt helped by lawsuits by tribes, the Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, in June of 2011, rescinded the rules change and the process has begun to move forward again. Two applications have since been approved, two have been denied, and more are under consideration.
In December of 2011 LDF Tribal Leaders decided to take a fresh look at the Shullsburg application and a working group was formed. By March 2012, the tribe authorized the submission of a new Shullsburg Casino Fee to Trust application. A very careful study of the project began, and also, due to drastic changes in the economy, a new feasibility study. The short term goal of the work group was to thoroughly assess the Shullsburg Casino opportunity and to present its findings to the membership.
Periodic project updates are available on the tribal website at ldftribe.com; click on the Shullsburg link.