CARTER LAKE — Supporters of a Native American-run casino in Carter Lake are confident it will become a reality despite legal attempts to stop it.
There would be the potential of 1,600 new jobs, many filled with residents of the area and not just from the Ponca Tribe, according to Larry Wright Jr., chairman of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska.
“We see this as a win for the community of Carter Lake, Pottawattamie County, Council Bluffs and our people,” Wright told the Carter Lake City Council this week.
He and an attorney for the tribe offered general information about the proposed casino, since it’s still a work in process.
The plan is to build the casino on 4.8 acres of land owned by the tribe around the Avenue H area that currently includes a Ponca-run tobacco shop. The size and scope of the casino are still to be determined, Wright said. There’s also the possibility of adding a hotel on the grounds.
Earlier this fall, the National Indian Gaming Commission issued a 41-page order that affirmed a 2007 decision allowing the Ponca Tribe to develop a casino on its Carter Lake property. The 2007 decision had been fought by Iowa and Nebraska and the City of Council Bluffs.
The court system eventually remanded the decision back to the Indian Gaming Commission.
Last week, the City of Council Bluffs filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court for the Southern District of Iowa arguing that the Ponca grounds are not eligible for a casino.
The city argues that the law does not allow the Ponca Tribe to put a casino on the Carter Lake land because that is not part of the tribe’s “restored” land in Nebraska.
The lawsuit noted that Council Bluffs receives about $3 million in fees and taxes every year from already established casinos, along with $8 million per year in charitable contributions from the Iowa West Foundation. The city also noted that the casinos bring visitors to the metro area.
Nate Watson, Council Bluffs city councilman, said he supports the lawsuit.
“It’s unfortunate we have to do this, but with the greatest respect to the commission, I believe it’s wrong,” he said.
Ron Cumberledge, a Carter Lake city councilman and the mayor-elect, said the city will look over the lawsuit.
“It kind of confuses me,” he said of Council Bluffs filing suit. “I don’t think anyone has listened to what the Ponca’s plans are.”
Richard Wade, Council Bluffs city attorney, said it could be several months, maybe a year, before the court makes its decision.
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