The City Council for Medford, Oregon, agreed to send a memorandum of understanding to the Bureau of Indian Affairs indicating the council wants to be included in an economic impact statement being prepared for the proposed casino.
The Coquille tribe recently asked the federal government to place into federal trust a 2.42-acre parcel on Highway 99 that currently houses the Roxy Ann Lanes bowling alley and a closed restaurant.
The tribe wants to convert the bowling alley and restaurant into a gaming establishment with video gaming machines, but first it must get permission from the federal government. The tribe asked the U.S. Office of Indian Gaming Management to grant it an exception from the federal ban on gaming on tribal lands obtained after 1988.
Although the memorandum of understanding helps the Medford City Council to have some say in the process, local officials say a court challenge likely would be their only hope to stop the tribe from proceeding if it gets federal approval, the Medford Mail Tribune reported.
