Tempe staff outlines $2.1 million in tribal gaming grant requests; resolutions due March 6

Tempe government relations staff reported that the city has submitted 28 tribal gaming grant requests from five departments totaling a little more than $2.1 million and will return to the City Council on March 6 with resolutions for final approval.

The requests, Jonathan Shuffield, Tempe government relations director, said, align with the council priority on revenue-forecast variance and have been brought forward under state law governing tribal gaming contributions. The largest number of requests come from Community Health and Human Services (13 requests) and Community Services (9 requests). Tempe also acts as a pass-through for some tribal statutory contributions to external nonprofit organizations.

Shuffield told the council the grant applications will be submitted to tribes through the spring. He identified the Gila River Indian Community’s submission deadline as March 31 and the Ak-Chin Indian Community’s as June 30, and said tribes typically make award decisions in the fall. "I'll take a look and get back to you," Shuffield said when asked to clarify whether a listed $15,000 for the Cahill Senior Enrichment Program covered one or two years.

The presentation did not include final award amounts or program-level approvals; staff said they will return with resolutions on March 6 that capture the city's internal and external program allocations and any pass-through arrangements. No formal council action or votes occurred during the work study session on the proposals.

Next steps: staff will finalize application packages and bring resolutions for council consideration on March 6; tribal deadlines and tribal award schedules will determine final funding outcomes.