Friction has eased between the county and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation since the tribe announced plans to bail on the proposed casino expansion; however, concerns linger.

Spokesman Brent Andrew announced Tuesday that the tribe would abort its Destination Resort Project, effectively putting to rest the ongoing legal battle that has plagued both parties.

The county made public in January its intentions to enter arbitration with the tribe over disagreements on the impact of tripling the size of the Cache Creek Casino. About $1 million of tribal mitigation funding was allocated to pay for court costs, which denied funding to projects identified by the Advisory Committee on Tribal Matters.

For the past six years the committee has made suggestions regarding social services for the Capay Valley. Twenty-eight percent, or $1.4 million of the $5 million mitigation fund is generally designated for these services, but the Board of Supervisors has explicit power to spend the money as it sees fit.

For the past two years ACTM fund recommendations were instead spent on consultant and attorney fees, and this year they were allocated to the Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's Office.

"The tribe has pulled back and now it's time for the county to pull back on what they have done, and release some of the money to the ACTM which was originally designed for the mitigation area," said ACTM Chairman Robert Bramlett.

But County Public Information Officer Beth Gabor said that money has already been apportioned and can't be recovered. "The remainder of mitigation funds (for the 2008-09 fiscal year) were allocated to arbitration for the benefit of the residents of Capay Valley," Gabor said. She emphasized that all mitigation funds go to improve public safety, including an increased sheriff's presence in the valley, and health and human services such as alcohol, drug and gambling treatment.

Bramlett maintains the ACTM has been effective in providing funding for a number of successful projects, but is currently a committee "that has no purpose."

He said he is worried that come the first of the year, ACTM's top priorities, such as the Valley Voice Newspaper, crisis counseling at Esparto High, and health insurance premium support, will fall by the wayside.

One things the county and ACTM can agree on is the relief associated with the tribe's decision to halt casino expansion plans.

"We respect the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation's decision and I can totally understand it. Look at how the county has suffered economically," said County-Tribe Coordinator Cindy Tuttle. "I hope moving forward that we can work with the tribe to best make decisions for the tribe and the citizens of Yolo County."

Esparto Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Elizabeth Cambell said she has heard nothing but positive reaction from business owners and residents in the area, regarding the tribes decision.

"The tribe does positive things for the community but people don't want their lives disrupted," she said.

Capay Valley Vineyard owner Tom Frederick, a next-door neighbor of the casino, is quite pleased that in the foreseeable future, the vineyard won't have a "10-story building looking down us."

"The valley has limited resources and tripling the size of the casino would have overwhelmed those resources," he said.

Speeding casino traffic has been an issue for Frederick, who said he hopes Caltrans will reconsider plans to expand Highway 16 between Brooks and Interstate 505.

However Caltrans Spokesman Mark Dinger said the casino expansion and road widening are two different animals.

The expansion will increase lanes to 12 feet and shoulders to 8 feet, designed to give drivers more room to correct for error.

"Our intention is not to make a this a raceway but a modern safe highway," Dinger said, emphasizing that the intention is to improve safety, not capacity.

Regardless, capacity might become an issue some time down the line. Plans for an expansion have ceased at the moment but are by no means permanent.

"It isn't accurate to say that this plan is on hold, and it isn't accurate to say this plan is dead," said tribal spokesman Andrew. "It's accurate to say this isn't the active plan right now, and we are reconsidering the options as broadly as you can imagine."