In December of 2023, an amendment to the Tribal-State Compact for Class III gaming between the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana and the State of Louisiana was signed by John Bel Edwards. A letter addressed to the Chairman Jonathon Cernek from the United States Department of the Interior explains the amendment removes Section 12 (C) from the tribe’s compact governing the conduct of Class III gaming activities by the tribe.
The question is how the removal of this section will affect the 11 governing bodies, who for over 30 years have received approximately $7 million per year in grant monies through quarterly payments from the casino’s profits. Yearly, the compact gave Elton, $910,000; Oberlin, Kinder and Oakdale, $410,000; the Allen Parish Police Jury and Sheriff’s Office, $1 million; the Allen Parish School Board, $2.490 million; District Attorney, $200,000; tax assessor, $70,000; and the district’s court fund and district expense fund, each $50,000.
At this point, calls to Cernek and the tribal council have been unanswered. The news leaves leaders wondering if the grant monies will stop or come in other forms. Their biggest concern is their budgets, which have absorbed these payments over the years to make improvements in the parish.
Sheriff Doug Hebert III said he’s just on a fact finding mission to see how this change will affect his department. The first $300,000 he receives goes to the jail that he built a few years ago. He said if the funds stop, he will have to find those monies from other areas to cover those costs.
“If it’s true, it could be catastrophic,” said Hebert.
All leaders have stated how this agreement with the tribe has been beneficial to the parish. The casino money has changed the parish in many positive ways. The school board has been able to retain educators by giving stipends throughout the year to its staff with some of the money from the casino. Kinder uses the majority for its police department, as does Oakdale. Mayor Gene Paul said a lot of the money is used in its police and fire departments – anything dealing with emergencies.
“I have not been contacted by individuals from Coushatta,” said Brad Soileau, superintendent of schools in the parish. “However, we are grateful for our previous relationship that has played a part in our ability to provide a quality education to the students in Allen Parish for many years. We look forward to the opportunity to engage in conversation with them in the very near future.”
State representative Dewitt Carrier also said no one has had any contact with his office. He is trying to make contact with the tribe to discuss the changes. He’s also met with the new governor’s staff to see if there is any information from that staff.
Leaders thank the casino for its previous support. They continue to reach out to learn more about how this recent change to the compact agreement will affect each of them. The paper did reach out to Cernek to ask if he would discuss it and clarify how this will change in the future. At press time, no calls had been returned.
