Davenport city leaders are all in when it comes to their plans for the land-based casino. As Mayor Bill Gluba announced, "I think we are heading in the right direction," council members voted unanimously to create a non-profit, the Davenport Community improvement Corporation, that would run the gaming operation. They also approved the DCIC's board structure and bylaws.
"Because it is something we are initiating," Alderman Jeff Justin said, "and we've told the taxpayers their money won't be at risk, we want to make sure that after the debt is paid back, it still performs as we intend it to perform today."
Seven people will sit on the board. The city administrator, police chief and an alderman will be joined by four members of the Davenport community. They have not yet been named, and will be appointed by Mayor Gluba and the council. But as the first few years pass, and the debt is paid down, the Riverboat Development Authority, the license holder, will start to appoint board members. And eventually, the city administrator and police chief could be replaced by other city staffers.
City Administrator Craig Malin says it's all about oversight. The goal is to keep gaming profits in the community, and at the same time, make sure the city is not in the casino business. He says, "We've had this discussion about wanting to make sure that non-profit is operating as a business, and it is not a city operation. It clearly cannot be a city operation."
And he tells us, we should know who the four appointed board members are by next week's meeting, or the one after that, at the latest.
