UPDATED Wednesday, March 21, 2012 --- 1:05 p.m.

Press Release From Ho-Chunk Nation:
Ho-Chunk Nation Joins Beloit and Rock County on IGA

(Black River Falls, March 21, 2012) The Ho-Chunk Nation Legislature passed a resolution supporting the Intergovernmental Agreement between the City of Beloit and Rock County thus completing a critical step in the fee-to-trust application process.

District 1 Representative and sponsor of the resolution, Susan Weber sees many community needs met by moving forward with this project. “I’ve been speaking with children in my district who’ve been asking for a new youth center. I also know there are elders seeking an assisted living facility. Moving this project forward gives us hope we can make some accomplishments for our people.”

In a 6-5-1 vote in favor of the resolution, Legislative member support wasn’t overwhelming thus diffusing any broad misconception that gaming has an existential green light within tribal government.

Public Relations Officer, Collin Price says this is the fourth site as expressed in the terms of our Compact with the State of Wisconsin.

Regardless of any reason one would oppose the development, their hesitancy can’t be discounted. “It’s our responsibility to provide clarity and direction on the future developments of this project. There are some uncertainties throughout the process but I’m certain the shared vision will focus our endeavors to completion.”

With the final governmental entity in support of the IGA, finalization of the trust packet will occur shortly and within days, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will be in receipt of the requisite information and the traditionally long review period is anticipated to commence.

Typically, applications seeking trust designation reach the BIA for agricultural, housing, economic development, government use, and gaming purposes. Packets set for gaming require a host of information and it’s not uncommon for the Bureau to seek additional materials.

Mr. Price indicated that the Ho-Chunk Nation is very familiar with the process noting the broad non-contiguous land base of the Nation. “Several of the [Ho-Chunk] Nation’s land parcel trust packets currently reside with the BIA, each of which are unique and spread out across the state within and surrounding several of our Ho-Chunk communities.” Mr. Price states as Beloit and Rock County move one step closer to meeting their employment and economic development needs, so too does the Ho-Chunk Nation in fulfilling the long-awaited projects desired by tribal communities.

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UPDATED: Thursday, March 8, 2012 --- 9:41p.m.

Thursday night, the Rock County Board voted 24-2 to approve the plan for a casino in Beloit.

Beloit City Council approved the plan earlier this week.

The casino would help bring up to 2,000 jobs to the area.

The plan now heads to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for their approval.

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Posted January 26, 2012 --- 11:15 p.m.

Officials are moving forward with plans for Beloit's first casino.

The City of Beloit has been working for months with the Ho-Chunk nation to draft a plan for a casino along the interstate and Willowbrook Rd. County of Rock supervisors heard the updated details Thursday night for the first time.

Ho-Chunk Nation President Jon Greendeer says plans are still in their "fetal stages." Still, he is hoping to build a casino and accompanying 300 room hotel and convention center in the next two years.

Before the group can break ground, there's an extensive set of approvals still to meet.

First, the city, county, and state need to sign off on an intergovernmental agreement. A draft of that plan was detailed Thursday. Beloit City Manager Larry Arft says since the casino property would essentially be its own country, so the plan has to outline everything form how they share police to how they share revenue.

Even if the plan is approved in Wisconsin, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs has the final say.

Ho-Chunk plans to pay Beloit 2 percent of profits since they cannot directly pay taxes. They also offer $2 million for infrastructure improvements at the site. The off-reservation casino would employ less than 15% Ho-Chunk workers and hire hundreds of locals from the area. Construction alone could cost the tribe more than $150 million.

Critics say since there are other casinos in Milwaukee, Madison, and the Chicago area, the project in Beloit might only draw business away from others in the area. Officials disagree.

"The kind of development that is being proposed would be a regional draw, drawing from the upper midwest down to the Chicagoland area," said Rock County Administrator Craig Knutson.

"Certainly you start getting into Rockford and Northern Illinois and around the surrounding areas as well," predicts Greendeer.

Arft says the BIA approved two similar projects back in 2011. He is optimistic they would approve the casino in Beloit. Still, Greendeer says plans to begin building in the next two years are very optimistic.