Commissioners object to Governor's offer of gas tax money

Editor:

(Copy of letter to Governor Schweitzer)

The Lake County Board of Commissioners were shocked to hear of your negotiated items with the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes over the gambling compact only a couple of days before the deadline for the compact's expiration. We have never agreed with negotiations behind closed doors with the Tribes on any agreement. We believe as Commissioners that we have good and pertinent information to be considered in such negotiations yet no opportunity to participate or even be asked for possible input.

The negotiation item we would like to comment on is your offer of giving the Tribes $500,000 annually of gas tax money.

Lake County maintains 1,138 miles of roads for the benefit of all Lake County citizens, non-tribal and Tribal. Our annual fuel tax allocation, with approximately 28,000 people (approx. 20 percent Tribal), for fiscal years '04 through 07 is attached. It is blatantly unfair to all counties, especially Lake County to take $500,000 annually out of the gas tax to satisfy the gambling compact and yet the Tribe only represents 20 percent of the population. It is also unfair because essentially the Tribes do not maintain the public roads traveled every day by all citizens.

We respectfully request you take the gas tax revenues off the table as a point of negotiation.

Board of Lake County Commissioners

Paddy Trusler, Chairman

Check Whitson

Mike Hutchin