Marion Leaders Won't Take Official Position on Linn County Casino

Marion City Council is not going to take an official position on the proposed casino in Linn County.

The preferred location is along Interstate 380 across the Cedar River from downtown Cedar Rapids. A special election on casino gambling will be held on March 5 to determine if Linn County residents want a casino.

"We're not against it, but we're not for it because it's not our place to endorse one business over another," Marion Mayor Allen "Snooks" Bouska said.

The topic was broached during discussion time when the City Council met on Tuesday, but they opted not to add it to the formal agenda from which they could vote on an official position.

During the discussion, one council member spoke in favor of the casino while one spoke against it, Bouska said.

Bouska said the casino could have economic benefits for Marion businesses, such as guests at the Longbranch Hotel, and the city could get the community grants the casino will provide. There's an estimated $2.4 million annually for grants for Linn County non-profits.

Bouska said once Cedar Rapids was chosen as the location, it's not a key issue for Marion.

"We said we had plenty of room over in Marion, over by Highway 100 and Highway 13, and we never got a reply back from them," Bouska said. "And, the 3 percent they are going to spread throughout the county, we have 35 percent of the population and two residents on the gaming commission. To get $700,000, our people would have to spend a lot of money."

"That's a Cedar Rapids deal, and they left Marion out of it," Bouska said.

Up the road in Robins, Mayor Ian Cullis said he doesn't expect a casino would have much of an impact on Robins and they weren't part of any discussions. He doesn't expect the Robins City Council to make an endorsement for or against either, he said. 

"The folks who say 'no' have all this research, and folks who say 'yes' have all this research," Cullis said. "Really, I don't care one way or the other."