Des Plaines needs to plan now for casino
Mayor Tony Arredia and others worked very hard on it, and now the 10th Illinois casino will be in Des Plaines.
Some will be elated and others will be disappointed. For those who are disappointed it can be a consolation knowing that had Rosemont, a few miles away, gained the casino we would have had many of the same problems without the compensation.
This casino will change the city of Des Plaines and comes with a price. With the proliferation of gambling, with competition from Elgin and nearby Indiana, with a foundering economy it is questionable whether the anticipated revenues will emerge.
There will be a huge cost for streets and sanitation services, for added police, traffic and crowd control, sewer and other upgrades, etc.
Not the least of city problems will be how to use the revenues wisely. A lot will go to neighboring communities but Des Plaines' share means a larger city budget requiring closer watch and closer control. A much larger budget is harder to monitor and it's easier to overlook smaller line items.
There will be a lot of people and groups asking for and receiving "their share" of these funds.
What should we do? The reputation of Des Plaines is on the line and it is not too early to begin preparing for these changes.
Here are a couple questions:
• What safeguards can we implement to control waste and corruption?
• Where to allocate anticipated revenues, keep taxes down and use funds wisely?
• What staff and personnel will be needed to control and monitor casino revenues?
Consult with Elgin and others who have worked with casino problems already. Is it not feasible to employ a committee and ask qualified taxpayers who may have valuable expertise to volunteer their services?
The new administration has a big job. Hopefully they will plan ahead to minimize the confusion. They have to have a plan in mind for the best use of the funds. They should assemble a knowledgeable committee to begin work. They should do it soon.
We wish them well.
William McNutt
Des Plaines