After the ballots were tallied Saturday night, Taunton voters paved the way for a casino to come to town, a prospect that many city leaders say could revitalize the city’s slumping economy.

After the ballots were tallied Saturday night, Taunton voters paved the way for a casino to come to town, a prospect that many city leaders say could revitalize the city’s slumping economy.



Voters heading to the polls to weigh in on the nonbinding referendum endorsed the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s proposal to build a tribal casino in East Taunton, with 7,693 voting for the plan and 4,571 opposing it. Saturday’s turnout was 36 percent, with 12,268 of 33,742 registered voters casting ballots.



“We’re very pleased with the results today, and this is a fantastic opportunity for the City of Taunton,” Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr. said in a press conference held immediately after the results came in.



“We thank the people of the great city of Taunton for their support,” Mashpee Wampanoag Chairman Cedric Cromwell said in a statement. “We are overwhelmed by this resounding victory in Taunton, especially in comparison to the recent rejection of gaming in Foxboro and other neighboring communities. But let’s be clear, this is not just a victory for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe; this is a victory for the future of this city, for every person looking for a good job, and for the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”



Voters in Lakeville and Freetown recently rejected a casino proposal put forth by another tribe, the Aquinnah Wampanoag.



Many who opposed the Taunton casino on Saturday expressed concern about the proposed location, because it is close to East Taunton Elementary School and Christ Community Church.



Ward 4 — which contains most of East Taunton — voted against the casino proposal with 755 in favor and 1,332 opposed. Voters closest to the proposed casino site in Ward 4 Precinct B voted against the proposal, 678-350.



Hoye said the impact the casino could have on East Taunton is his biggest concern.

“I’m the mayor of all of Taunton, and that includes East Taunton. We have to work with the residents there,” Hoye said.



Tony LaCourse, chairman of the anti-casino group Preserve Taunton’s Future, was disappointed with the results but proud of his organization’s efforts.



“I’m very proud of our team,” LaCourse said. “We did as good a job as we could have done with the resources we had. Three weeks ago, it would have been a landslide. … When you’re talking about a grassroots organizations with $1,500 in funding, we did a good job.”



Since Preserve Taunton’s Future is a ballot action committee, LaCourse said the organization can no longer exist after the vote. But he said the group’s members have not given up.



“Now, as individuals, we take the fight to the governor,” LaCourse said. “If it is approved by the governor, as individuals, we’ll try to mitigate the impact it has on East Taunton and this area because we still live here.”



The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe announced in February that it is pursuing a destination resort casino in East Taunton and has acquired an option to purchase 146 acres in Liberty and Union Industrial Park. The Mashpee have not publicly ruled out acquiring additional land, including the nearby Silver City Galleria mall.



“As of right now, the location is the Liberty and Union Industrial Park,” Hoye said. “Could that eventually change? I suppose that’s possible, but that’s where we’re looking right now.”



Saturday’s vote broke a recent streak that saw voters in Lakeville and Freetown defeat casino proposals put forth by another tribe, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, Aquinnah.



Casino details



The Mashpee Wampanoag propose to build their Taunton casino over a five-year period in phases at a cost of more than $500 million. They have said the project will include a 150,000-square-foot casino, restaurants, 10 to 15 retail shops, three 300-room hotels, an event center, a four-deck parking garage and a water park.



The City Council moved last week to approve an intergovernmental agreement, or IGA, between Taunton and the tribe. The IGA calls for the tribe to provide Taunton with about $33 million in mitigation payments up front, $4.79 million in additional annual mitigation payments and at least $8 million per year in slot machine payments in exchange for agreeing to host the casino.



The Mashpee are partnered with casino developer Arkana Ltd., a privately held company wholly owned by the Malaysia-based Lim Family Trust. Trust member PK Lim serves as president and CEO of casino and resort developer Genting Berhad, a publicly held company of which Lim has majority control.



A study from the city’s infrastructure consultants predicts that there would be 4.7 million annual visitors to the tribal casino. To upgrade city services to address the impact, Taunton would need to make $6 million in upfront capital improvements and $4.77 million in additional annual operating expenditures, according to the report, which was generated by HR&A Advisors.



What’s next?



“We’ll enjoy this victory tonight, but our work isn’t done,” Cromwell said. “First thing Monday morning, we’ll be back at it, working to finalize a compact with Gov. Patrick so we can create thousands of jobs and millions in revenue as soon as possible.”



Before being allowed to build a tribal casino, the Mashpee are required to negotiate a compact with the governor, have the compact approved by the state Legislature, and then get a trust lands application approved by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.



“That’s a federal process. We’re just along for the ride as far as that’s concerned,” Hoye said regarding the trust lands application.



This past week, the National Indian Gaming Commission, the federal regulatory agency that oversees American Indian casino operations, approved the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s casino ordinance, one of many steps required under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.



Another federal entity, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, announced in the federal register last week that it is preparing to issue an environmental impact statement on the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s application for land in Taunton to be taken into trust for the purpose of building a tribal casino.



Hoye said it could still be a year to two years before any construction would begin on a casino.



— Staff writer Gerry Tuoti contributed to this report.



Email Christopher Nichols at cnichols@tauntongazette.com.

Election results are unofficial until certified by the Secretary of State's Office.