_0.jpg)
Blair votes 'hell no' as Council votes 4-1 to send letter in opposition to Tachi's property move
Lemoore officials are objecting to a proposed land acquisition that could have a detrimental impact on Lemoore’s ability to collect taxes and provide police and fire protection.
The local Santa Rosa Indian Community, which owns the successful Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, is seeking – through the Department of the Interior – acceptance of property it holds within the city and wants to incorporate it into its community, claiming it as sovereign land.
The properties include the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), located on Lemoore Avenue near the Save Mart Center, and a vacant lot north of the Lemoore 7-Eleven.
Should the Santa Rosa Indian Community application prove successful, the City of Lemoore may no longer have jurisdiction over the properties, a move which could have economic and other implications, including a loss of sales and business taxes to the city. While the loss of revenue isn’t known precisely, city officials said it could be about $12,000 annually.
During a vibrant discussion, council members generally agreed that the lines of communication should always remain open between the City of Lemoore and the Santa Rosa Community, but Blair, while arguing for more discussion, seemed to blame city officials and objected to the tone of the letter drafted by the city’s administration. “They’re a sovereign nation, and we’re not even treating them with dignity by giving them a dignified discussion,” she said.
Mayor Eddie Neal, attempting to provide perspective to the discussion, said the two entities needed to work together. “Let the Native Americans know that we’re here to work with them,” he pleaded. "We should all work together. But I think we need to watch our choice of words, how we write these out,” perhaps referring to the tone of the planned letter to the Department of the Interior.
However, he insisted that land within the city limits probably shouldn’t be claimed as sovereign. “Please revise the language if you can. It sounds offensive. We should be a team,” said Neal. “I don’t think this was intentional.”
The Lemoore City Council was being asked to review the letter, and if approved, send it on to the Department of the Interior objecting to the proposed land acquisition. In the letter, city officials cite:
- The land is located approximately six miles or more outside of the tribe’s current land reservation and is located within the City of Lemoore boundaries.
- If granted the City would lose needed revenue to the community, in the form of taxes and other fees. Property taxes alone for the requested land is $12,093.40.
- The City would be unable to enforce local laws, regulations or requirements on sections of land located within one of the city’s business areas. These segmented lands could potentially create unique safety issues for the City due to the fact that the adjacent land could also be affected.
- The two parcels are located in the main shopping centers of Lemoore, on a highly traveled road with peak visibility. Future changes, inconsistent with the city’s General Plan, could be detrimental to the overall character Lemoore embraces.
In the letter, written by Lemoore City Manager Nathan Olson, he stated that “while we respect the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tribe, we feel it is imperative to maintain consistency with City of Lemoore services, standards, and the character for all of the lands within our city.”
Olson told council members they had 30 days to respond to the letter. ”If we don’t respond, or we don’t have this done by April 7, we have no say.”
The city would lose the ability to have any role in what the site's development, he added. “The intent of their application is to make this sovereign property. In the best interest of the city, I can’t allow that to happen.”
Tom Reed, a frequent speaker during public comments, suggested that if the property in question were to become sovereign land, the Santa Rosa Community could create problems for the City of Lemoore. He wondered who would respond if someone robbed the local KFC, or if a fire occurred would the fire department have to respond?
“Another thing they can do is set up their own store and sell marijuana for any use, recreation, medical. They can do whatever they want.”
Councilmember Chad Billingsley apparently disagreed with Blair’s assessment of the relationship between the Tachi Tribe and the City of Lemoore. “I know we are doing everything we can as a city to build a relationship with them. Communication can go both ways,” he added.
Blair said the city would probably be more productive if local officials sat down with the Santa Rosa Community and opened channels of communications. “We would do (this) for any other developer. We’re treating them like they’re not even people.”
Billingsley countered: “Holly, that is not true.”
Mayor Neal attempted to restore perspective to the discussion. “How do we fix the problem? What can we do to reach out to them? How do we have a meeting?”
Councilmember Dave Brown said the city has a history of treating everybody fairly. “We’re treating everybody the same. It’s the same level playing field,” he said.
Olson suggested the city send the letter and then reach out to the Tachi leadership.
Blair suggested an offering of burnt sage to “cleanse the area.”
Brown attempted to end the discussion. “Can we go ahead and vote on this?” He made the initial motion to send the letter as written by city officials. Councilmember Stuart Lyons seconded it. Initially, the vote was 4-0 as Blair abstained. “I don’t think it deserves the dignity of a yes or no vote,” she said, defiantly justifying her vote.
Lemoore’s city attorney immediately pointed out that an abstention by a council member in this kind of decision is not valid, requiring Blair to cast a yes or no vote.
“I want to make sure that I get this so that it’s in the record properly for the minutes. Hell no,” said an angry Blair.
Her comments caused Mayor Neal to chastise the first-term council member. “Outbursts like that; let’s have some class please,” he pleaded.
Blair continued her defiance: “I could have (chosen) a different four-letter word, and I didn’t. So that’s as classy as I’m going to get today,” she said.
