The nonpartisan Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau recently issued a report that estimated the state could face a .8 billion budget gap in the 2015-2017 biennium. Governor Scott Walker is increasingly under pressure to address the issue by announcing his support for a proposed Menominee Indian Tribe casino in Kenosha, which was approved by the federal government last year.
But legislators from Kenosha and Racine have expressed frustration at Walker’s slow pace. Running for re-election, he asked for and received an extension on his decision until after the November election, into February 2015, stating he wants to create a “win for the state financially, a win for the tribal nations involved and a win for the state’s economy–in Kenosha and beyond.”
Walker has said the state could expect significant financial trouble if a Kenosha casino is approved before a new tribal compact can be reached. The current compact, negotiated by former Governor Jim Doyle, provided economic protection in case of new gambling competition for the Forest County Potawatomi and the Ho-Chunk tribes, which oppose the Menominee proposal. This summer, the Potawatomi Tribe, which operates a casino in Milwaukee, withheld its required revenue sharing payment to the state for fear the state will not e able to meet its financial obligation to the tribe.
