Voters Will Likely See Clinton Twp. Casino Question on November Ballot

Update: MLive reports the state board of canvassers did not have the number of votes needed to certify the proposal for the November ballot. The issue may head back to court.

Clinton Township voters will have the opportunity to support or reject the presence of a casino in their backyard this November, following the state Supreme Court's ruling Friday to allow a proposal for eight new casinos in Michigan on the Nov. 6 ballot.

In a unanimous ruling, the court reversed an appeals court decision from last week that rejected the casino proposal on the grounds that the language of the proposal did not inform voters that it would re-write Michigan gaming law, according to The Detroit Free Press. 

The court ruled that unless a proposed amendment affects a provision of the constitution, and not state law, such voter notification would not be required.

Clinton Township Supervisor Robert Cannon said he was “delighted” to hear the court’s decision and is “very hopeful for a successful vote in November.”

Of the eight proposed casinos, one is destined for Clinton Township, specifically the area between Gratiot and I-94 just south of Hall Road.

“(A casino would be) a huge economic engine for Clinton Township and Macomb County as well as huge job provider,” said Cannon, who has supported this project from the start. “(It is) a clear benefit for all of Michigan police and fire departments as well as schools and road construction.”

Cannon told the Free Press in April that the proposed casino is expected to create 1,500 full-time jobs and generate $2 million a year in property taxes for the township.

This revenue is expected to come in addition to millions of dollars collected in wagering taxes, which would be divided as follows:

• 30 percent of wagering tax revenue would be set aside for K-12 schools statewide
• 20 percent would distributed statewide for public safety
• 20 percent would go to the community in which the casino is located
• 20 percent would go to the county where the casino is built
• Statewide road repair and gambling addiction programs would each receive 5 percent of the tax revenue

If the casino proposal is approved in November, it would also lead to a new constitutional amendment that would raise the tax rate on all casinos to 23 percent. The current Detroit rate is 19 percent, according to the Free Press.

“We’re very pleased with the ruling today – it’s a clear affirmation that our position regarding the validity of this ballot initiative has been correct from day one,” said T.J. Bucholz, spokesman for Citizens for More Michigan Jobs, in a prepared statement. CMMJ started the initiative to get a proposal on the state ballot in November that would allow the new private casinos by amending the state constitution.

“Despite the best efforts of our competitors to circumvent the rights of half a million Michigan citizens and protect their monopoly, today’s Michigan Supreme Court ruling saw through their misguided efforts,” Bucholz added.

The casino proposal must still be approval by the Board of State Canvassers, but it is expected to go forward on Monday.

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