Meadows agrees to funding
North Strabane Township will continue to receive funds as host community of The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, despite a 2016 ruling that removed the onus from the gaming venue.
Township supervisors approved a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with Washington Trotting Association (The Meadows) in which the casino agreed to maintain local share assessment (LSA) contributions.
“We just thought it was the right thing to do,” said Matthew Block, vice president of government relations for Pinnacle, parent company of The Meadows. “North Strabane Township relies on those funds to help cover fire and police protection in the area. We didn’t think the town should be penalized because the (state) Legislature hasn’t been able to come up with a fix.”
In September, the state Supreme Court ruled part of a 2004 gambling law that outlines how casino revenue is distributed to host communities violated a provision in the state constitution. The state Legislature was charged with finding a better way for casinos to fund LSAs, but was not able to do so by the May 26 deadline. Casinos were thus permitted to stop those payments May 27.
North Strabane, which receives about $2.7 million a year from The Meadows, has used LSA funds to float a bond in order to build a new community park and to purchase a new aerial truck for its fire department.
Township Manager Frank Siffrinn estimates the township payment will be $600,000 to $650,000.
“I think they (The Meadows) want to maintain the best working relationship they can,” he said. “It’s good for Washington County and North Strabane.”
The Meadows agreed Aug. 17 to continue LSA contributions to Washington County.
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll, told Observer-Reporter last week, “The LSA fix has been bundled with additional gaming, and that has been a debate and bone of contention in the Legislature.”
Block said Pinnacle intended to pay the funds all along.
“We had thought the Legislature would have provided a fix by now. Since they didn’t, we thought it was important to formalize and submit those funds sooner rather than later,” Block said. “It can really kind of turn their world upside down to not have those funds.”
Staff writer Barbara S. Miller contributed to this report.