Is third time the charm?
Officials with the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa are reviving plans for a casino near the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota.
The idea was first floated in 2004, and again in 2009, according to Northern Plains Prairie Business. But the plan found insufficient support among local lawmakers. In 2005, the city passed a resolution saying it wanted to continue the discussions, and that resolution is still in effect.
Tribal leaders say an off-reservation casino could employ as many as 1,000 people and generate annual gaming revenues between $60 million and $100 million.
State and federal authorities also would have to approve an off-reservation casino. But the cooperation of the community also would be key.
The reservation has 67 percent unemployment, far higher than the statewide average of about 2.5 percent, tribal Chairman Richard McCloud said last week. It’s the poorest reservation in North Dakota, he said.
Based on history, Grand Forks Councilman Terry Bjerke doesn’t think the proposal will pass. The last time it went before lawmakers, 4,000 people signed a petition against the casino.
“I’ve never seen 4,000 petition signatures presented to the City Council ever. I think the people were pretty clear in what they thought,” he said.
