County officials worried about Ho-Chunk land-into-trust bid

Wednesday, May 11, 2011  

Officials in Sauk County, Wisconsin, are considering a resolution to oppose a land-into-trust application submitted by the Ho-Chunk Nation.

The tribe wants to use 600 acres for an IMAX theater, restaurant, cultural heritage center, strip mall and RV park. Officials are worried about the loss in tax revenue if the land goes into trust.

The tribe originally submitted an application for 700 acres in 1994 but withdrew it after the county objected. A new application resulted in just five acres going into trust.

"The only saving grace is that the process moves so slowly," county corporation counsel Todd Liebman said, The Portage Daily Register reported. The original application came in 1994. It's now 2011, and only five acres of that has been taken into trust."

Get the Story:
Ho-Chunk plans would exempt hundreds of acres from taxes (The Portage Daily Register 5/11)