Opponents of a Yuba County hotel-casino want the Board of Supervisors to hire an outside attorney to review the memorandum of understanding with the Enterprise Rancheria tribe.

Cheryl Schmit, director of Stand Up for California!, urged the board Tuesday to seek legal counsel and reopen negotiations with the tribe.

In a letter to supervisors, Schmit said she wanted "to alert you to serious questions regarding the validity and enforceability" of the agreement.

"Absent clear legal direction, it is unclear to what extent, if any, the parties are bound by the MOU," Schmit wrote. "At the very least, there are public policy concerns and financial burdens that may overwhelm the county taxpayers today and into the future."

In 2002, the county approved an agreement with the tribe. During the first 16 years the casino is open, the county is supposed to receive about $73 million, according to the pact.

Supervisor Mary Jane Griego opposed Schmit's recommendation.

"Is Yuba County going to uphold its agreements or are we going to let the rest of the world know that it doesn't mean anything?" Griego asked.

But Supervisor Dan Logue, who opposes the casino, said the county should look to protect its interests.

"It is very important that whatever (direction) we go that it's in the right direction," he said. "I care about the county."

  The debate came several days after the Bureau of Indian Affairs held a public meeting in Marysville to receive comments on the project's environmental impact statement.

The tribe wants to build a multi-story hotel and casino on Forty Mile Road and is waiting for the federal government to decide whether it will place 40 acres of land into a trust for the tribe.

For more than two years, a debate has raged about the casino.

Proponents say it will bring jobs and entertainment to a county that currently has little of both.

Opponents contend the casino will increase crime, lead to moral degradation, cause gambling addictions and decrease the quality of life for residents.

Schmit Letter

Appeal-Democrat reporter Daniel Witter can be reached at 749-4712. You may e-mail him at dwitter@appeal-democrat.com.