As reported by: The News Sun
In a move consistent with county policy for several years, Lake County officials are reiterating their objections to the location of a proposed Indian casino in Kenosha.

County Board Chairman Suzi Schmidt listed the county's objections to the proposal in a Sept. 2 letter to the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, along with the Connecticut-based Mohegan Tribe, want to develop an off-reservation casino at the site of the Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha.

In her letter, Schmidt said Lake County officials are concerned that the casino "will drain jobs and entertainment money from Lake County and the State of Illinois," and that the casino would be able to use gambling revenue to develop additional entertainment facilities, "putting Lake County businesses at a further disadvantage."

Schmidt also said the development would cause additional traffic problems in Lake County, and raised concerns about the development of an Indian casino in a location that neither tribe claims as tribal territory.

Schmidt said the letter reiterates concerns the county expressed in a 1999 letter with the development of a tribal casino in Kenosha.

In 2001, the county considered but ultimately rejected the idea of joining a lawsuit against the development of a casino at Dairyland by the Menominee Tribe. At that time, the Potawatomie Tribe had filed a lawsuit against the proposal.

Some board members at the time questioned whether the county, by joining the lawsuit, would be overstepping its jurisdiction and becoming inappropriately involved in tribal matters.