Kaila White and Peter Corbett

The Republic | azcentral.com

The Tohono O'odham Nation would pay Glendale $26 million over 20 years under a proposed agreement for the tribe's casino on its reservation land near the Westgate Entertainment District.

The deal, which the Glendale City Council likely will consider at a Tuesday meeting, also would provide more than $2 million to the Glendale Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote tourism.

Glendale does not have jurisdiction over the casino site. But after opposing casino development for four years, the city decided last year to begin negotiations with the tribe.

Last month, the City Council voted 4-3 to end its opposition to the casino.

The casino site would be built on the tribe's vacant 54-acre reservation southeast of Loop 101 and Northern Avenue. The reservation is part of a larger 135-acre plot the tribe bought in 2003.

"I'm pleased with that kind of money," Councilman Gary Sherwood said. "I'm pleased because there's developers we already started talking to that had no intentions of doing anything there without that casino" but now are planning nearby projects.

He declined to name the developers.

The casino could be operating as early as 2016, based on the agreement and a statement from one of the tribe's contractors that the project will take about 18 months to complete.

Tohono O'odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris Jr. released a statement that said in part, "This productive agreement demonstrates what's possible when two parties sit down and work together for the benefit of their communities and the entire West Valley."

The casino could still be derailed by federal legislation or an adverse ruling in federal court.

Glendale's deal with southern Arizona's Tohono O'odham Nation requires the tribe to pay for its own infrastructure on the site and provide its own police and fire protection.

The Tohono O'odham tribe would pay Glendale for off-site improvements along with water and wastewater services.

In return, Glendale will agree to drop its legal claims against the tribe and will urge Arizona's congressional delegation to oppose legislation that would prohibit the West Valley casino. Glendale, which spent $3million on casino-related legal fees, had been a plaintiff in lawsuits against the tribe.

The Tohono O'odham tribe would pay Glendale $500,000 within 10 days of the agreement's signing. Annual payments to Glendale would start at $1.4million and be paid six months after gaming begins.

The payments would increase 2percent annually until 2026. At that point, the payment would drop to $900,000, increasing 2percent annually for 10 years.

The agreement includes a provision requiring the tribe to relinquish its sovereign immunity from lawsuits so the city can hold the tribe to the terms the deal.

"That was number one, and if we didn't get that, nothing else would have made sense," Sherwood said of the legal immunity.

Mayor Jerry Weiers, who opposes the casino, said it's troubling that the council could be rushed to approve a major agreement with only a few days for residents to review the deal and comment on it.

Weiers and four other Valley mayors,who met Wednesday with The Arizona Republic editorial board, argued that the casino development on the border between Glendale and Peoria could lead to "Las Vegas-style gambling" in Arizona.

Gilbert Mayor John Lewis and Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community President Diane Enos said the tribes and local mayors are backing federal legislation that would ban additional casinos in metro Phoenix.

Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake introduced a bill last week to block more casinos in Phoenix on land that is not adjacent to an existing reservation. A similar bill was passed in the House.

The dispute centers on Arizona's 25-year Indian gambling compact approved by voters in 2002.

The Salt River and Gila River tribes said the deal prohibits more casinos in Phoenix. But the courts have ruled there is no language to that effect in the compact.

Salt River and Gila River could lose millions of dollars at their casinos if the Tohono O'odham Nation builds its West Valley casino.