County, casino near $100 million deal

Sonoma County supervisors are on the verge of a historic accommodation with the huge Indian gaming casino perched in the hills above Geyserville, mulling a proposal that could funnel $100 million in casino revenues to the county over 12 years.

About $75 million is intended to pay for road improvements, emergency response services, law enforcement and other impacts from the casino. An additional $25 million would come from the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo as it collects bed taxes at its proposed hotel.

Although the agreement will be debated Tuesday by county supervisors, details will come as little surprise to them because the county's legal dispute with the River Rock Casino over emergency access, land use and alcohol licensing has been discussed in closed sessions for several months. As part of the deal, the county is to drop its opposition to the River Rock liquor license application.

And the tribe agrees not to seek a casino on its property south of Petaluma for at least eight years.

If approved, the measure also could affect the contentious relationship between the county and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, which plans a large casino on unincorporated land west of Rohnert Park. The Graton tribe has negotiated a 20-year, $200 million deal with Rohnert Park to fund road widening, police and school programs.

The proposal represents an about-face for the county, which generally has refused to negotiate financial deals with the tribes because it opposes the presence of casinos in the county.

Mike Kerns, chairman of the board and supervisor representing the district containing the proposed Graton casino, said Thursday that county officials were being pragmatic in discussing mitigation fees with Indian tribes that couldn't be dissuaded from establishing casinos on tribal lands.

"If a tribe is successful in getting their casino up and running, they should pay their fair share in mitigating the impacts of that facility," Kern said. "That was the case with the Dry Creek tribe, and Graton has all along said they would be willing to talk about mitigating impacts and sharing revenues."

Greg Sarris, Graton tribe chairman, said the county's pact with the Pomos augurs well for a similar one covering the Rohnert Park site.

"It is very good that the Pomos and the county have the means and the will for cooperation," Sarris said. "As in our case, the county really doesn't have any choice."

Sarris said the Graton tribe's environmental impact study stipulates mitigation measures, so "all we have to do is come to agreement over money, what things need to be done."

"The public understands that this is going to happen and that it is better to join us rather than try and beat us," Sarris said.

But County Administrator Bob Deis said it is too early to leap to conclusions about the Graton casino.

"In the case of River Rock, there was a big parking lot and a big casino that everybody has to learn to live with," Deis said. "The Graton casino doesn't have any of that."

A spokeswoman for the Stop the Casino 101 Coalition, Marilee Montgomery, said her group was not concerned because they viewed the situations as different. The Graton tribe has agreed to mitigation measures, but the Pomos had never done so, she noted.

The proposal comes just as the Dry Creek Pomos are poised to start construction on a $300 million luxury resort hotel and gambling hall. The resort, designed to replace the existing tent structure, would have 255 guest rooms, fine dining, meeting rooms, a wedding chapel and luxury spa.

Dave Hyams, spokesman for the Dry Creek Rancheria, said the tentative agreement will lead to jobs and revenue for the county and "new opportunities for the tribe."

"Each side gave a lot and each side got a lot, and this is the best way to go forward -- cooperatively," Hyams said.

He said the tribe is "in the process of securing the financing for the resort" and hopes to break ground on the expansion project in the next few months.

He declined to estimate when the casino might be serving alcoholic beverages now that the county has agreed to drop its opposition to the tribe's liquor license application.

Supervisor Paul Kelley, who represents the north county, said he supports the agreement because it puts mitigation costs for road repair and law enforcement on the casino, although he remains unhappy the gaming facility is there at all.

"I still don't like having a casino in my district, but it is there and it is operating and it is creating impacts they they should pay for and the taxpayer shouldn't," Kelley said. "This agreement does not diminish my fight against casinos."

Staff reporter Clark Mason also contributed to this story. You can reach Staff Writer Bleys W. Rose at 521-5431 or bleys.rose@pressdemocrat.com.