Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians ("Tribe") through its wholly owned tribal enterprise, Chukchansi Economic Development Authority ("CEDA") and Madera County Board of Supervisors Near Agreement on Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU")

COARSEGOLD, Calif., Nov. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chukchansi Tribe and the Madera County Board of Supervisors are nearing the completion of an MOU that is intended to resolve all remaining public safety issues between the Tribe and the County and enable the Chukchansi Gold Coast Resort & Casino to reopen during the upcoming holiday season. 

On Wednesday, November 25^th the Madera County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting to consider the MOU and is poised to ratify it.

The original contract between the Tribe and County was negotiated and signed in 2007 and enumerated the Tribe's obligations to fund certain county services pertaining to the safety and security of the casino and its patrons.  The tribe was to pay for certain aspects of fire protection and law enforcement provided by the county. Since the closure of the casino in October 2014, the Board of Supervisors has sought back payments from the Tribe to compensate for missed years of disbursements and to help pay for increased safety and security in and around the casino.

To that end, the Tribe and the County have agreed that the County will provide an officer on site for the first six months of operation paid for by the Casino.  This officer will be in addition to the full-time officer that casino already pays for to be permanently in the general area of CGCRC (within 20 minutes of the casino).

The Madera County Board of Supervisors is eager to see the Tribe reopen CGCRC because of closure and its 1,300 layoffs (many of whom are residents of Madera County) has significantly impacted the economy of the County. In addition to 1,300 unemployed households, CGCRC's closure has had a chain-reaction impact on Madera County's revenues, limiting the County's ability to provide necessary and critical services.

"We are anticipating the long awaited conclusion to the negotiations with the tribe and ratification of the MOU," said Board of Supervisors Chairman David Rogers. "This is another step forward in their journey to restart their operations, which is in the best interests of the tribe and the county."

"We have worked tirelessly with the Tribe and the County to reach a fair and equitable arrangement," said Christian Goode COO of CGCRC.  "We commend Chairman Rogers and Madera County, for being sensitive to the needs of the tribe and for recognizing how important we take the safety and security of the casino."

The meeting of the Board of Supervisors will take place on November 25, 2015 and they are expected to ratify the MOU at that time.  Once in place, the tribe will begin preparing in earnest to get the casino reopened before the end of 2015. 

Meeting details:
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Meeting start: 8:30am
Location: Madera County Government Center (200 West Fourth Street, Madera)

MEDIA CONTACT
Eric Fleming
Madera County Chief Administrative Officer
(559) 675-7703

Christian Goode
Chief Operating Officer, Chukchansi Gold Coast Resort and Casino
(716) 799-2851

SOURCE Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino