NEW BUFFALO, Mich., March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, the city of New Buffalo, and New Buffalo Township today signed the Local Agreement regarding the Band's planned casino in New Buffalo Township. The Local Agreement addresses issues of mutual concern to the three governments, including local revenue sharing and local support for taking land into trust.

"The New Buffalo Township Board is appreciative of the cooperation between the Band and the negotiating committee," said Pete Rahm, New Buffalo Township trustee. "The purpose of the Local Agreement is to aid the local community with all proceeds going to the local community."

The Local Agreement establishes a community foundation to distribute millions of dollars in funds from electronic gaming revenues to local communities, including local governments, school districts and non-profit organizations. The Band promises in the agreement to pay for all upfront costs of developments, and up to $375,000 for public and life safety capital costs. The agreement provides local hiring preferences, establishes a minimum gaming age of 21, and establishes tribal taxes. The city and township promise in the agreement to support the tribe in taking the land into trust.

"This local agreement that we signed today is the culmination of many hundreds of man hours of difficult decisions and much discussion," said New Buffalo Mayor Cos Aiello. "There has been a great deal of give-and-take between the Band and the Township and City negotiators, and a new feeling of respect for each other."

"We plan to file the application with the Department of Interior in the next week or two to take the land into trust," said John Miller, tribal chair of the Pokagon Band. "We will include this agreement in the application to show how we are partnering with the local communities to make sure this casino benefits all involved."

The signing was held at the New Buffalo Township Hall and included a tribal pipe ceremony. The Pokagon Band presented ash baskets to city and township representatives as a sign of their gratitude and commitment to working with the surrounding community.

The casino, when finished, will be Michigan's second largest Native American casino, nearly twice as large as Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Ind. The casino will be located north of State Highway 239 and east of I-94 at Exit 1 in the northeast corner, and will have 3,000 slot machines and 100 table games.

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians was recognized as a restored Band by Congress in 1994. This Restoration Act recognized an area including six counties in Indiana and four counties in Michigan as ancestral homelands. In 1998, the Pokagons signed a compact with Governor Engler, that was approved by the Michigan Legislature, to allow the Band to own and operate one casino on reservation land. The Band signed a casino management contract with Lakes Gaming of Minnesota in 1999 and hopes to open their casino in New Buffalo Township in 2001.