We congratulate Max Baer on the passage of casino project. Whether you support his project or not, his persistence was remarkable.
It's unfortunate that the casino project has been presented as another Carson versus Douglas issue, because both will benefit. Part of the work force will come from Carson City and, if Baer's project comes even close to projections, the visitors it will draw will spend some of their money in Carson City, too.
As an attraction, the Hillbilly Casino will likely be marketed as part of Carson City, the postal address it will carry and a more widely known name than Douglas County.
It will also be more visible from Carson City than from populated parts of Douglas County. As was noted at the recent meetings in Douglas County, most people will assume it's actually located in Carson City, just as they do for the big box stores located in the same area. For those Carsonites who view the casino project as an exciting new tourism draw, that's good news. Those who see the "hillbilly" theme as a blight on the city's reputation and a poor fit for the grandiose visions in the city's master plan, however, are probably chafing at Douglas County's approval of the project.
The retail stores that will locate in the former Wal-Mart building in Carson City where Baer initially planned to locate the project will bring the city plenty of sales tax revenue. Douglas County will collect property tax and, as it continues to grow, it may benefit directly from the sales tax revenue from the casino. Currently, the county's size means its sales tax collections are calculated from a statewide pool, rather than directly from the businesses in Douglas County.
Baer seems to have cleared the largest obstacles in his way, but we certainly haven't heard the last from the doubters, who question whether Baer can bring the project to fruition and, if he does, whether it will be successful.
After observing the saga so far, all we can say is we won't bet against Max Baer.