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Resident urges county to seek studies and public comment before tribal trust move for proposed White Earth casino
Summary
A resident asked Clay County commissioners to request economic, environmental and traffic impact studies and a public-comment window before any action related to a proposed White Earth tribal casino and land-into-trust request; commissioners told the speaker authority over trust status rests with federal/tribal processes.
Julian Gilbert of Linden told the Clay County Board of Commissioners during the citizens-comment period that he wants commissioners to treat a proposed White Earth Casino project as a business and to seek direct community benefits and studies before any land is placed into trust.
Gilbert asked the board to request an environmental-impact study, a traffic study and a formal public-comment window (he proposed 90 days) before endorsing any change that would place the property into tribal trust and thereby remove it from county property- and sales-tax rolls. He cited the White Earth casino in Bagley as an example and, as he stated it, estimated that site generated about $1 million in annual revenue and that, by his calculations, would have produced approximately $68,000 in sales tax and $288,000 in property tax. Gilbert also said the Bagley facility employed about 40 full-time staff and additional part-time employees and urged commissioners to weigh local employment effects.
Commissioners clarified authority: Commissioner Mojo asked whether placing land into federal trust is within the commission’s power; county counsel responded that it is not. The board noted that representatives of White Earth planned to meet with the commission the following week; commissioners and staff said they would hear from the tribe and pursue additional research and questions raised by Gilbert.
Gilbert also requested that the county check local unemployment levels (he stated, during remarks, that Clay County’s unemployment rate was “33.1%” compared with “1.6%” in November, phrased as he cited it) and flagged safety concerns at a Bagley parking lot, including a past fatal hit-and-run and more recent incidents of intoxicated-driving damage. Gilbert said he would provide written notes to commissioners after the meeting.
No formal action or vote occurred on the topic; the remarks were recorded as citizen comment and commissioners said they would receive tribal representatives and the public prior to making decisions that are outside county authority.
