Tribal Casino Advances

An effort to set up a new casino in Fruitport Township located in Muskegon County advanced this week when ­Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians announced reaching a preliminary agreement on the proposal.

The Municipal Services Agreement moves the tribe a step closer to gaining the approval of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, which would then put the land into a trust for a casino, according to local reports. The state Legislature would also need to approve the deal.

The new agreement details the tribe’s annual payments to the local township, county, and community grant fund. The annual contributions, which could reach around $2 million, are in addition to money pledged by the casino to the state’s School Aid Fund.

Granholm wrote a letter to House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Township) and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) asking them for a resolution in support of the new agreement.

“Muskegon has been hard hit in recent years, and I am so pleased that our tribe has the opportunity to provide some hope and help to all of our people, tribal and nontribal, at this time,” tribal leader  Larry Romanelli told reporters.

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