By Mike Fitch, Auburn Journal
The Lincoln City Council took a strong, but seemingly futile stand against gaming casinos this week when it rejected plans for providing water and sewer service to a casino proposed by an Auburn-based Indian tribe.
The council’s unanimous vote will complicate the United Auburn Indian Community’s effort to build a 200,000-square-foot casino in an unincorporated industrial area south of Lincoln. The 58-acre site is near the intersection of Athens and Industrial avenues.
Even council members admitted, though, that the vote likely will not thwart the tribe’s efforts to open a casino.
"We may not have prevented it from happening, but we made a statement," said Councilman Tom Cosgrove. "Ultimately, it’s not consistent with values in our community."
"From our point of view, they shot themselves in the foot," Howard Dickstein, the tribe’s attorney, said Thursday. "It’s a setback for Lincoln. It’s not a setback for the tribe."
He reported that city officials approached the tribe, asking it to hook up the casino to Lincoln’s sewage treatment system. Such a move would give the city about $1.3 million in sewer hookup fees, plus a major user for the city’s new sewage treatment system.
Now, the tribe likely will move to build its own sewage treatment plant and may meet its water needs by drilling a well of its own, Dickstein said.
He said those options may not be more expensive than contracting with Lincoln, because the tribe pledged in a proposed memorandum of understanding with the city to make contributions to a host of community projects and government agencies.
In essence, the Lincoln council found itself in a predicament Wednesday similar to one that faced the Placer County Board of Supervisors in August.
Both governing bodies have made it clear they don’t want to support casino gambling. Both had chances to sign agreements with the tribe that offered several inducements.
They could take a stand against casino gambling, but would lose the inducements if they did so and had little chance of derailing the casino because the federal government has signaled that the tribe is entitled to one.
County supervisors reluctantly chose to sign their agreement, because it requires the tribe to follow county planning rules and reimburse the county for police and other services provided to the casino. Under federal law, the tribe normally wouldn’t be required to do either.
In return, the agreement calls on the county to write a letter to federal officials supporting the tribe’s casino bid.
The Lincoln council opted to take a stand against casino gambling. Many residents of Lincoln and other neighboring communities oppose the casino, saying it would increase crime and traffic problems in their neighborhoods, and entice local youths to gamble once they turn 18 years old.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Councilman Don Noyes said he hopes the tribe will look for an alternative site once it learns that Lincoln and other neighboring communities oppose the project.
In the agreement rejected by Lincoln, the tribe’s contributions would have included $500,000 toward development of the Lincoln Route 65 bypass and $25,000, $50,000 the second and $100,000 each succeeding year for cultural, social and youth activities in Lincoln.
The rejected agreement also spells out formulas for having the tribe repay Lincoln for any fire, medical and police services provided to the casino.
Brenda Meadows of Gold Country Media contributed to this story.
Copyright © 1999, Auburn Journal
