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LETTER #1 Dear
Fellow Middleborough Residents: Once again, I was disappointed to
see the Enterprise reporting on the proposed Resort/Casino Agreement, “the Tribe
has offered the Town 7 million dollars a year payout for 10 years to host the
Casino.” While it is true that part
of the draft proposal did provide for a Payment In Lieu of Taxes
(“P.I.L.O.T”) of 7 million dollars a year as a base figure, there is no
ten year limit to the P.I.L.O.T. as has been repeatedly stated in
the Enterprise. I would like to outline the FACTS
for all to read, so everyone can
consider the IMPACTS of hosting a Resort/Casino. Here are the essential elements of
the proposed Host Community Agreement which is currently being revised to
more fully describe the terms of the agreement prior to sitting down with the
Tribe to further refine the Agreement: 1.
Once the Tribe’s land is designated as “Trust” land by the federal
government, the Tribe will not be subject to taxation by the Town. However, the Tribe has agreed to
pay a P.I.L.OT. to the Town based on a rate of $15.00 per thousand
valuation. The current rate for this
property is $9.28 per thousand. Yes,
they have agreed to pay over 150% of the tax rate, that the rest of us are
paying from “Trust” approval until they open the Resort/Casino to the public,
at which time they will pay the Town 7 million dollars a year as a minimum. 2.
This payment of 7 million dollars a year applies whether the State
Legislature approves slots (Class Three Gaming) or not. If the State does not approve Class
Three Gaming, the Tribe will open a Class Two Facility that will include high
stakes bingo, bingo slots, and Las Vegas Night type table games. Either way, the Town will be paid 7
million dollars a year. 3.
After each five year period, the compounded Consumer Price
Index (“C.P.I.”) for that period will be added to the 7 million
dollar initial payment. Based
on historical information, the increase after the first five years would
exceed 8 million dollars and the increase after the second five years would
exceed 9.5 million dollars. This
would also apply if the Town received less than one percent of the State’s (Class
Three) slot revenue (see 4. below) 4.
The Tribe and the Town would go to the Governor as partners should the
State Legislature approve slots and we would have an opportunity to negotiate
a percent of the State’s share of the slot revenue. This could add 4 to 8 million dollars to the 7 million the Town
would receive in the first year of operations. (Fiscal Year 2011). In my next letter, I will provide you with some FACTS
that will put a 7 million dollar P.I.L.O.T. in perspective. I must keep my letters under 500 words or
the Enterprise will refuse to print them, as they have in the past. Very
truly yours, John
F. Healey, Town Manager LETTER TO ENTERPRISE,
GAZETTE, THE STANDARD TIMES LETTER #2 RE:
THE WAMPANOAG DESTINATION RESORT/CASINO Dear
Fellow Middleborough Residents: I promised you I would follow my
last letter with a letter providing you with some perspective on what the
Agreement to Host the Wampanoag Tribal Resort/Casino would mean to us as
residents of the Town. 1.
The Agreement provides that the Tribe will spend nearly 200 million
dollars on highway improvements to eliminate the Rotary and eliminate all
street lights and at grade crossings of Route 44. The gridlock at the Rotary, especially in the morning and
afternoon commuter periods, would be eliminated. The sometimes deadly accidents at the intersections on Route 44
would be eliminated. 2.
The Agreement provides that all water, sewer, gas and electric system
improvements needed to serve the Resort/Casino would be paid for by the
Tribe. This new customer would pay
prevailing utility rates for these services and make it possible to stabilize
rates for all users of these utility systems. 3.
In my last letter, I spoke of the initial 7 million dollar Payment In
Lieu of Taxes (“P.I.L.O.T.”). This
would be a huge infusion of dollars, making it possible to meet the
needs of families and children in this Town, rather than suffering layoffs
and reductions in services each year. For example, this year we took in less than
a million dollars in new taxes. A 7
million dollar a year payment by the Tribe would be seven times our
annual tax revenue increase from all other sources. The Assessor’s records reflect that all
commercial and industrial properties in Town paid a total of $3,716,591 in
taxes this year. Seven million is
almost two times the total commercial and industrial tax base
of the Town this year. Ask yourself
how many years you think it will take the Town to triple its current
commercial and industrial development?
That’s what it would take to match the revenue we would get from the minimum
of 7 million dollars a year the Resort/Casino would provide. Then, ask yourself what the Town could do to
improve school facilities and programs with this additional revenue. We could have the best schools in the
State and meet all the other needs of our families. We could stabilize the tax rate by not taxing to the levy
limit. W would never have to face an
override and never have to face an employee we were laying off again. In addition, we would have funds we don’t
have now to address problems of addiction, spousal abuse, bankruptcy and
other social ills, all of which are very much present with us today. What is not present with us today are the
funds to deal with them. While we are studying IMPACTS of this development,
let’s analyze the impact of not approving a Host Agreement with the
Wampanoag Tribe. In my next letter, I will address these
IMPACTS. It is not a pretty
picture. It will not be the
Middleborough we want it to be. It
will not be the Middleborough we all know and love. Sincerely,
John
F. Healey, Town Manager LETTER TO ENTERPRISE,
GAZETTE, THE STANDARD TIMES LETTER #3 RE:
THE WAMPANOAG DESTINATION RESORT/CASINO Dear
Fellow Middleborough Residents: In my last letter, I promised you
I would write again to discuss the IMPACT on the Town if the Host
Agreement between the Town and Wampanoag Tribe were NOT signed. The Town of Middleborough, not unlike
other cities and towns in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has been
experiencing a slow slide into financial oblivion over the last decade or
more. Without a new, substantial
reliable and continuing source of revenue, we will continue to come up
short and continue to cut programs, personnel and services to our
people. I predict that the next two years
will see 3 to 4 million dollar deficits each year. And, without the Casino revenue in Fiscal
Year 2011, we will see those deficits in year three as well. It won’t take long before class sizes
reach into the thirties and then the forties, until families with children
decide to move out of Middleborough or place their children in expensive
private schools. Other Town services
will also be cut to the bone, if they survive at all. And, Override attempts will fail. It is ironic, indeed, that the
majority of the anti-casino supporters are parents of school age children who
will be hurt the most by the inability of the Town to meet the needs
of the school system and the families and children of this Town if their
arguments prevail. I have been intimately involved in
the Town’s finances, which is why I can provide you with some insight into
the future finances of the Town. Some
blame me (in part) for our financial circumstances. Others, including the Department of Revenue, credit me and the
Town Treasurer/Collector, with keeping the Town’s head above water for the
past ten years or longer. Whatever
your position, the Town as we know it and love it will not be able to
survive the next five years without a substantial, new and reliable
infusion of revenue. Some will say that the source of
revenue is “tainted” and we should not accept it. To them I say I am a Christian man who has worked all my life
to help the oppressed. I see needy
people, people who have addictions and people who have messed up their lives
everyday. And, as God gives us
strength and resources, my friends and I do our best to help those in
need. If we had the financial
resources we could do a better job of meeting those needs. So, for me, it is a
“no-brainer”. We can enter into a
Host Community Agreement with the Wampanoag Tribe and: Ř
Maintain Town services Ř
Meet the needs of families and children in Town Ř
Resolve our highway problems Ř
Stabilize our tax payments, water, sewer, gas and electric rates Ř
Enjoy the resources we need to address the social ills we already have
and any additional social ills that may result from the gaming facility Some will try to convince you that new municipal
costs will outstrip the new revenue, you need to judge for yourself. Do you want to choose additional revenue
you will never see without the Agreement, or a slow slide into
financial oblivion? Sincerely,
John
F. Healey, Town Manager |