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The Roseburg News-Review - Editorial - April 18, 2004
We can’t disagree more with the opinions expressed by County Commissioner Dan Van Slyke in a guest column on this page Thursday where he lamented the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians’ “…vast empire of tax-free real estate holdings throughout our county.”
Unfortunately, his complaining about the Tribe’s tax-free status has a ready audience among some who can’t imagine another reason why the Tribe has achieved such success.
There are many businesses in the county who have received tax breaks to expand and grow employment. None have been the job machine that the Tribe has been.
In little more time than our Douglas County commissioners boast of helping to create nearly a thousand jobs in the county, the Tribe has created more. More than 1,000 of our neighbors are employed today because of Tribal employment growth. A great many of these hard-working people pay income tax and property tax as a result.
Yes, the county has lost some taxable land, and with it the taxes that were paid upon that land. The same federal laws that provide for autonomous tribal government in many areas of the country are benefiting us here, an area known for its troubled economy and outrageously high jobless numbers.
This year alone, the Cow Creeks gave about $510,000 to local charities and nonprofit groups. It is a rare month, if any, when the tribe is not either publicly or quietly contributing to the public good, including contributions to local schools, districts and communities. The range of charitable giving is as broad as the depth of the need in Douglas County. Few in need have not in some way been assisted by tribal charity, far beyond what was ever agreed to in the compact with the state.
If the tribe had paid that same amount as property taxes they would be in the top five Douglas County property taxpayers in 2003. Their capital investments are the kind our commissioners should be fighting to bring to the county. Besides payroll, the Cow Creek businesses purchase an enormous amount of goods in the county. In addition, other businesses have the opportunity to benefit from the extra visitor traffic the casino draws here.
Tribal leadership has seen opportunities and capitalized on them. They have grown businesses, added employment, given to the community, and provided quality goods and services.
They have done it with the advantages that come from being a federally recognized Tribe - a fact that will not change. While Commissioner Van Slyke and others are unhappy that they have been given a tax advantage, it wasn’t many years ago when all surviving American Indians were uprooted and their ancestral lands were taken from them.
The tax advantages they have gotten in recent years do not even come close to tipping the balance compared to what they lost.
We don’t expect the Cow Creeks to walk away from their opportunities any faster than their employees should be expected to give up their jobs or the recipients of charitable contributions to hand them over to the county.
The tribe’s contributions to Douglas County have thus far outweighed the cost. Many counties in Oregon would be delighted to have such an employer within their boundaries. Our greater concern should be continuing this mutually beneficial relationship.