Seneca Falls (WSYR-TV) – Over 1,000 people were at a public hearing Wednesday night regarding the Cayuga Indian Nation's request to place 129 acres of land into a federal trust.
The land is located near the northern end of Cayuga Lake, with most of it concentrated in the Cayuga County Town of Union Springs.
The Cayugas own several businesses in both Cayuga and Seneca counties, and would not have to pay taxes if the trust was granted.
Both counties and the state are fighting the application.
The hearing, set up at the Chiropractic College on Route 89 in Seneca Falls, was meant to get the reaction from the public about the environmental impact that the land trust agreement would have.
The comments from those in attendance, though, were about taxes.
“Their kids are going to go to our schools, we have to pay teachers, but they don't have to pay anything? Don't pay taxes, don't pay for police or fire and they don't pay school taxes?” says Mary Ann Rose of Seneca Falls.
“It is impossible to make an argument that the loss of revenue from property taxes on 125 acres will make any reasonable impact on the tax base of the community,” says Cayuga Indian Nation attorney Lee Alcott.
Alcott says the land would be used for gaming facilities and convenience stores, so there wouldn't be a huge impact on the environment.
“The smoke shops, the gaming facilities have all been open before, and the impact on community is already well known, the impact statement and trust application call for no new development,” says Alcott.
“It’s hard to believe that over the years, they're not going to grow -- that's a huge amount of area, they'll have a lot left over,” says Cayuga County legislator George Fearon.
Nothing was decided at the meeting; it was simply another step in the application process.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs will be taking public comments on the land trust application until July 6.
After that, the consultant hired by the bureau writes up a final environmental impact statement, which the bureau takes into consideration before coming to a decision.
That statement could take months to be completed, and a decision is as much as a year away.
If you would like to mail a comment to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, send it to:
Franklin Keel, Regional Director
Eastern Regional Office
Bureau of Indian Affairs
545 Marriot Drive, Suite 700
Nashville, TN 37214
Fax: 615-564-6701
No emails will be accepted.
