Columbia County board rejects casino proposal

Wednesday, Dec. 15, 1999 | 3:20 a.m.

The board voted 26-3 against the proposed casino, hotel and convention center in Columbus, a city of about 4,500 that is 25 miles northeast of Madison. It is the eighth city that has turned the tribe down.

Opponents of the casino said it could increase compulsive gambling among county residents and drive up crimes such as burglary and drunken driving.

"We believe that socially there's a real price to pay for having a casino come to Columbia County," said Brian Hamilton, an area businessman who testified against the casino.

Casinos also draw workers and dollars away from local businesses, opponents of the Columbus proposal said. Members of the county board said they received many letters from residents urging them to turn down the casino proposal.

Columbus Mayor Michael Eisenga said the Lac du Flambeau Chippewa had promised $2 million to the city and county each year in exchange for public services.

A casino, hotel and convention center would also add about 1,000 jobs in the area, Eisenga said.

The mayor had called for a referendum on the casino project, which would then need to be approved by the full county board.

"I want this to go to our city taxpayers and our city voters," Eisenga said at the board meeting. He backed away from the referendum idea after the vote, which he said showed a "narrow mindedness and a short sightedness."

Casino opponents said the $2 million annually was not a guarantee and would be hard to collect in court because the Indian tribe is a sovereign nation that is not subject to state laws.

Columbia County's rejection of the off-reservation casino was the latest in a long line of failed proposals by the Lac du Flambeau tribe.

Lac du Flambeau casino proposals have been shot down in Belgium, Johnson Creek, New Berlin, Oshkosh, Sheboygan, St. Francis and Waukesha.

The tribe will now wait for another community to request and approve the casino proposal, said Dick Matty, director of public relations for the tribe.

"When any area requests our presence, we have merely said: Show us the interest of the municipality and the county and ... we will start from there," Matty said.