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New York State Assemblywoman Francine Del Monte recently held a rally to protest Governor George Pataki’s appropriation of what was designed to be the local share of tax revenue from the Seneca Niagara Casino. “This money was never intended ... to supplant state dollars for huge projects,” she told a crowd of several dozen that had gathered to support her. “I think we all take exception to what’s happening here.” Assemblywoman Del Monte said that she had finally reached an agreement, after several months of intense negotiations, on how the tax money from the Senaca Niagra Casino should be spent. The agreement was outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding, submitted to Gov. Pataki in November. The MOU was not signed by the Governor, who preferred to simply appropriate the local share of the casino revenue for the state’s budget. If it had been signed, the MOU agreement would have allocated casino tax revenues to the city of Niagara Falls, the Niagara Falls International Airport, Memorial Medical Center, the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation and the Falls School District. According to Assemblywoman Del Monte, 18 percent of the casino slot machine revenue was meant to be allocated to New York State instead of paying taxes. Of that, one quarter of the casino funds was supposed to go to the “host community:” the city of Niagara. Governor Pataki released his detailed plan for allocation of the casino revenue proceeds after the Assemblywoman’s rally. His plan includes $9 million for the Niagara Experience Center, a science center for children and adults, $3 million for the airport, and $3 million for local efforts to bring tourism to the area. The money, according to Gov. Pataki’s plan, would be distributed through USA Niagara, an agency he created himself to allocate money to Niagara Falls and the surrounding region. Many local commentators say that, although these are certainly worthy projects, they should have been paid for by the state’s budget and not by casino revenue money that would otherwise have gone to the localities. Some Niagara Falls area local figures urge Assemblywoman Del Monte to ask the state legislative Assembly not to approve the plan when the budget is presented, and to instead wait for Senator Maziarz to make an agreement with the governor. The casino, many people in this region believe, was condoned by the lawmakers and citizens of Niagara Falls precisely because they had been led to believe that they would be the beneficiaries of the millions in casino revenues. “That’s why I supported this casino in the first place,” said Terry B., who attended the Assemblywoman’s rally. “I thought the local community was actually getting a sweet deal out of this…I guess I was mistaken.”
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