Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The: Mayor sees money in casino move; Barrett seeks to boost payments to

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett made clear Thursday what's driving his interest in moving the Potawatomi casino downtown: money.

He's looking for a boost in casino revenue to help fill the city's cash-strapped coffers. In fact, the prospect for a significant boost in casino payments makes it necessary for him to seriously consider a downtown casino move, Barrett said in an interview.

"We have to look at that," he said. "The city of Milwaukee has (financial) challenges."

He came away from a meeting with a top U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs official Thursday in Washington, D.C., reassured that federal law governing tribal casinos does not impose an upper limit on what percentage of casino revenue tribes can pay as part of a deal with local government, Barrett said.

The tribe currently pays the city and Milwaukee County each about 1.5% of revenue from its casino in the Menomonee Valley. That came to about $3.9 million each on total casino revenue of $260 million for the fiscal year that ended in August.

A downtown move presumably would boost attendance and revenue. A study done last year also concluded that moving the casino downtown would provide more spinoff revenue to local businesses than an expanded casino in the Menomonee Valley.

Potawatomi spokesman Ken Walsh said the tribe "already makes a significant economic contribution to Milwaukee" under its existing payment arrangement. The payments to the city would automatically go up if casino revenue increased under the current deal, he said.

He declined to say whether the tribe would discuss boosting its payment to the city as part of a deal to move the casino downtown.

Barrett, however, said the city would seek a higher percentage of a downtown casino's take.

"That's an absolute given," he said.

Barrett said the obstacles to the downtown move were significant but not insurmountable, following his meeting with George Skibine, acting deputy assistant secretary in the bureau. Skibine oversees off-reservation casino applications.

The federal review of an application to take a new piece of land in trust downtown would take about a year, Barrett said he was told. The move also would require congressional approval for removing reservation status for the Potawatomi tribe's current casino site in the Menomonee Valley, he said.

In addition, the move would need the OK of Gov. Jim Doyle, who has not given an opinion about a downtown casino.

Barrett said he was mindful that tribal protocol required that the push for a downtown casino must come from city and business leaders rather than the tribe.

"I'm respectful of that," he said. "If we find this to be in the interest of the city and the taxpayers, we would be in a position of inviting the tribe to move downtown."

Three potential downtown sites have been discussed: The PabstCity development planned for the former brewery, the Park East Freeway corridor and property adjacent to the Bradley Center.

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