LAKEPORT — An Upper Lake tribe will be before the Board of Supervisors today to discuss an agreement with the county that will manage the impacts that their proposed casino might have on the community.
In March, members of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake made a presentation to the Board of Supervisors regarding their plans to build a casino and possibly a high-end hotel in Upper Lake along Highway 20. The tribe offered to work with the county at the start of the process to mitigate any impacts to the county, such as contributing revenue to the general fund and using sheriff”s department resources.
The Habematolel and the county this morning are scheduled to discuss the memorandum of understanding (MOU) they”ve worked out to address those issues.
“As we had discussed early in the project, the tribe desired to mitigate the potential impacts upfront … to ensure that we”re being a good neighbor,” said Robert Rosette, the Habematolel”s attorney.
In his memo to the Board of Supervisors, county Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Cox wrote, “Both the county and the tribal representatives have taken a very positive approach and made every effort to be fair and realistic in terms of our respective expectations. … with both sides finding common ground and sharing mutual goals.”
The proposed MOU is unusual because the tribe has not even broken ground to begin construction on the casino.
Working on an MOU before constructive begins is “a precedent for Lake County,” Rosette said, “and has only occurred a couple of times in the state of California or even nationwide.
“We asked the tribe to step up to the plate,” Rosette said, “and the tribe agreed.”
Rosette explained that local governments can”t tax Indian tribes, “but the tribe has agreed to pay what those taxes would be to enhance their law enforcement, social services,” and more.
The item will be before the board today at 10:30 a.m. at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
Contact Terre Logsdon at tlogsdon@record-bee.com.
