Grants to be awarded to local governments

United Auburn Indian Community & Local Community Benefit Committee Recommend Grants to Local Agencies

With the support of the Tribal Council of the United Auburn Indian Community, Placer County's Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee (LCBC) has announced its recommendations for grants to be awarded to local governments.

As prescribed by state law SB 621, the grant funds come from the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund and are intended to mitigate impacts associated with tribal gaming.

Agencies recommended for grants are as follows:

• Placer County District Attorney, $30,666, for criminal prosecution; 
• City of Lincoln, $40,000, for the proposed Twelve Bridges overcrossing of Highway 65, and the interchange expansion; 
• Placer County Air Pollution Control District, $50,000, for motor-vehicle emission reductions; 
• Placer County Sexual Assault Response Team, $27,915, for forensic and medical-examination equipment; 
• Placer County Public Works Department, $65,000, for the Fiddyment Road asphalt concrete overlay project; 
• Roseville Police Department, $90,000, for evening traffic and driving-under-the influence enforcement; 
• Lincoln Police Department, $22,205.40, for the Lincoln Police Activities League.

"It was important to provide funding to areas that may be impacted by the casino," said Julie A. Huff, Tribal Vice Chair. "Our tribe has worked tremendously hard to continue to be good neighbors in Placer County and the outlying cities that surround Thunder Valley. This has not always been an easy task, but committees such as LCBC enable all of us to work together."

The Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund is based on assessments by the state on tribal gaming machines that were in place prior to 1999. Thunder Valley Casino, which is owned by the United Auburn Indian Community, did not open until 2003.

"This grant will be extremely helpful in this difficult budget time," said District Attorney Brad Fenocchio. "Our county continues to grow, and with that growth, our costs increase. We are deeply grateful to the Tribe for their willingness to contribute to the overall good of our communities."

The Auburn-based tribe pays into the state Revenue Sharing Trust Fund, and through a memorandum of understanding with Placer County, provides support to fire services, law enforcement, traffic mitigation and other local needs.

The Local Community Benefit Committee includes county Supervisors Robert Weygandt and Rex Bloomfield, Roseville Mayor Rocky Rockholm, Rocklin Mayor Brett Storey, Lincoln Councilmember Ray Sprague, Jessica Tavares, United Auburn Indian Community Tribal Chairperson and Julie Huff, who was also elected as LCBC Chair.