Some citizens are opposing the possibility of a Shabbona bingo facility.

Members of the DeKalb County Taxpayers Against the Casino (DCTAC) expressed their opposition Wednesday to the proposed agreement between the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (PBPN) and the DeKalb County Government at the DeKalb County Board meeting in Sycamore.

“Our hope is better understanding between the opponents and the DeKalb County Board to complete an intergovernmental agreement that supports gambling in DeKalb County,” said Robert Purdy, resident of Shabbona and member of DCTAC.

Purdy said the DCTAC assumes that the PBPN led DeKalb authorities to false conclusions on two premises. First, DCTAC believes that PBPN did not have absolute land rights to the Shabbona land and therefore has no gambling rights. The other is that DeKalb County would not profit directly in cooperation with the PBPM by tax revenue and other payments.

Purdy also requested the board engage with a consultant who is informed on Indian gaming and requested a study from the NIU Department of Student Affairs on gaming by university students and problems it causes.

Lane Pickwell, resident of Shabbona and member of the DCTAC, said the casino would have negative economic impact on the county.

“Salaries that would be generated by this casino would not cover for the dollars that would come out of the county to the tune of about $10 million a year,” Pickwell said.
Ruth Anne Tobias, the DeKalb County chairwoman, responded Thursday to the opposition of the agreement.

“The citizens do not feel [the PBPN] has reservation status on that land and the tribe feels they do,” Tobias said. Tobias said the board submitted a request to the National Indian Gaming Commission for a land determination so that the federal government will decide if the reservation status is real or not.

In response to a request by citizens who spoke at the meeting, Tobias said the board had not discussed getting an attorney, and she thought it would be very hard to find someone well-versed on Indian Law and impartial of the cause.

“With an agreement in place, we have limits on the land uses,” Tobias said. “Without an agreement in place there [will] be no limits on land uses.”

Upcoming Dates:
Feb. 11: Public meeting regarding the agreement
Feb. 20: The board votes on the agreement at the DeKalb County Board meeting.

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