It is unsettling that The Bee editorialized on the complex negotiations between the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians and Yolo County over our planned Cache Creek Destination Resort project without ever contacting the tribe. Had it done so, our deep commitment to reaching agreement with the county would have been obvious. We have negotiated in good faith, performing extensive independent studies to support our comprehensive offer, which we submitted well before the agreed-upon Jan. 5 negotiation deadline.

By contrast, the county's offer came at the last minute on the final day. Before we could even evaluate their offer, the negotiating clock expired, leaving us on the brink of arbitration. The county submission was unsupported by data or independent analyses, and they have yet to provide any facts supporting their positions, despite repeated requests.

An independent economic analysis found our project would create 1,000 new jobs, on top of the existing 2,500 jobs at Cache Creek Casino Resort, plus hundreds of construction jobs. Annually, the project will generate approximately $90 million in regional economic benefits, adding to $305 million annually the resort already generates.

It is hard to see how the county can honestly claim, as The Bee reported, that it is being "victimized" by the tribe. The tribe pays more than $5 million annually to the county under its existing arrangement, plus $1 million a year to subsidize a bus route to reduce traffic. We offered to give the county another $3.3 million a year – more than it needs to cover actual public services, and more than our compact requires. The tribe agreed to pay for road improvements, additional bus services, a park-and-ride facility, expanded law enforcement and fire protection, among others. While not required, we also would pay the local school district $645,000, the city of Woodland $250,000, and help finance affordable housing in Yolo County.

As Capay Valley farmers and the area's original inhabitants, the tribe is dedicated to environmental protection. That is why we proposed building a reservoir to store additional recycled water for landscape irrigation and to enhance agricultural use of nearby property.

While purporting to care about Capay Valley residents, the county is raiding a fund established to mitigate local casino impacts – $800,000 – to pay for its arbitration battle.

One must ask if the county ever was truly serious about working with the tribe in good faith. The county apparently preferred brinksmanship, confrontation, and public attacks to finding real solutions. County officials started lining up media opportunities and meetings before even sending us their offer. If the county spent as much time negotiating and preparing a meaningful offer, we might have bridged the gap and come to an agreement. This is no real surprise, however, since their hostile posture today is no different than during negotiations for our current memorandum of understanding in 2002.

Even now, I hope some agreement can be reached. In this economy, I believe the region could use the many jobs this project would provide. However, for this to happen, the county needs to be honest and aboveboard. Otherwise, the county is not helpless in this situation, it is hopeless.

Marshall McKay is chairman of the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians.