Mayor Rickey Williams says although he has seen a relative struggle with gambling he is looking forward to Danville getting a new casino…
‘’We have folks who leave here by the busloads every week to go to East Peoria from Big Lots. And if they’re going to be participating, I would rather capture the resources and keep the money here,’’ said Mayor Williams. ‘’That way we can provide the services the people in this community need instead of them going elsewhere and pouring in money into someone else’s community,’’ added the Mayor.
The Mayor says it remains to be seen where the casino will be located, but added…
‘’You know, if it’s zoned properly they could locate almost anywhere that they wanted to in the community, as long as we have the infrastructure to support the development,’’ said Williams. ‘’I’m not even sure that there will be a separate application process for the city,’’ he added there may be – but he still has to do a little more homework.
The Mayor says the location will be driven largely by the developer. He also says a timeline on the casino will also depend on the developer.
But Mayor Williams says he is excited about the fact that a casino is coming to the city….
‘’I’m excited about the jobs, you know. We have a lot of jobs that we need filled currently, however more good jobs are – I think – could never be a bad thing,’’ says Mayor Williams during an interview with VermilionCountyFirst.com News. ‘’So I’m excited about the number of jobs it can provide. Also the resources that we could use to provide the services that citizens need. And my ultimate goal would be that if, hopefully we receive this kind of revenue then we wouldn’t have to raise taxes for a substantial amount of time,’’ added the Mayor.
And although there is an opportunity for an interim casino location, Mayor Williams says he does not know whether that will happen.
