On Feb. 6, the Iowa and Racing Gaming Commission voted to allow Linn County to build a casino. I won’t sugarcoat the impact to our community: It is significant.
The loss of revenue could impact jobs and casino offerings, but most importantly it will reduce our community benefit by approximately $500,000. This wasn’t the outcome we had hoped for — but it’s the reality we now face.
Throughout this process, we have been incredibly proud of how our community has represented itself.
We saw firsthand the unity and dedication of our residents — from the 13 individuals who traveled to Cedar Rapids in November to speak on our behalf to the more than 60 community leaders who wrote letters opposing the Linn County casino.
