The city of Ridgecrest, California and the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe have settled all legal issues between the two over the tribe’s casino and last week the Ridgecrest city council approved an agreement with the tribe during a closed session meeting.
The vote to approve included Mayor Peggy Breeden, Vice Mayor Michael Mower and Council member Scott Hayman. Opposing was Mayor Pro Tem Lindsey Stephens and Council member Kyle Blades, with Stephens indicating his displeasure about the casino during the open session of the meeting.
According to Assistant Attorney Lloyd Pilchen, the agreement with the tribe includes payments to the city, which will reach $12.5 million to the city upon the casino’s third year of operation.
The tribe is buying the land from the city for $5.5 million and “the city in good faith will support the tribe with the Department of the Interior with respect to the taking of the land into trust,” according to Pilchen.
Some members of the public were unhappy that the tribal/city agreement was discussed in private and that only the passage of the agreement itself was discussed in public.
According to the Daily Independent newspaper, one critic declared, “I might as well go into the restroom and talk to the urinal and go home.” He added, “They had a vote in secret which wasn’t allowed. They sold property basically without bringing it to the public’s attention. You just told the public, ‘You don’t count. Your opinion doesn’t count. We’re the dictators up here. Sit back and shut up.’”
