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Gamble Pays Off for Michigan City

"…Finally, just after the start of this year, work started on a $1.3 million project in that neighborhood that will bring not only sewers, but also water and newly paved, wider roads, according to Al Walus, general manager at the sanitary district.

"These long-overdue improvements are among several in the city that have been made possible over the last several years by money from the Blue Chip Casino, which floats in a widened and dredged section of Trail Creek immediately south of U.S. 12.

"The city collected $15 million last year from a combination of an admission tax, a wagering tax, and a local development agreement with casino operators, according to the Center for Urban Policy and the Environment at Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

"The city shares 25 percent of its cut of the wagering tax with the county, schools, townships, other cities and towns, and special taxing units such as libraries and the local airport, said Jennifer Arnold, director of external affairs at the Indiana Gaming Commission.

"…The city is now able to pay cash for large capital projects and purchases that in the past could only have been possible with the help of costly loans that force taxes up, said Mayor Sheila Brillson. This has resulted in water and sewer projects in South Shore Acres, as well as the purchase of 48 new police cars and the construction of several new fire stations, she said.

"The city paid cash for three of the four fire stations built a year ago, which replaced five stations that date back to around 1955,

"…In addition to providing the city with impressive returns for its willingness to host a riverboat, Blue Chip has also met or exceeded each of the financial commitments made as part of the original development agreement, according to the SPEA evaluation…"

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