Paragon makes 1st quarter distribution

      Good news for local governing bodies came from the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe recently. Ending a three-quarter drought, the tribe distributed casino revenues to local government agencies for the first quarter of 2015.

      For the months of January-March, the tribe’s goverment distribution totaled $139,981.75.  It is the first distribution since the first quarter of 2014, in which the 15 entities shared $101,969.

      Optimists will quickly note that this first quarter was better than last year’s.  Pessimists will point out that the “well went dry” after the third month last year and may do so again. But for now, the good news is that the Tunica operation is once again profitable. 

      The tribe’s compact with the state requires that it distribute six percent of its net proceeds each quarter to the nine municipalities and the Avoyelles Police Jury, School Board, Sheriff’s Office, Tourism Commission, 12th Judicial District Court and Indigent Defenders Board.

      Going back to the last quarter of 2013, the tribe has claimed the casino had a net loss, and thus no distribution is required, for four of the last six quarters.

      Through an arrangement designed to compensate for the hotel tax not paid by the tribe’s Paragon Hotel, the Avoyelles Commission of Tourism is allowed to take $12,500 off the top before the distribution formula is applied to the remainder of the funds. After that payment to ACT, the 15 entities split $127,481.75.

      Of that amount, the Police Jury received 34 percent, for $41,176.61, and the Sheriff’s Department received 23.5 percent, for $32,125.39. In a revision to the allocation formula, adopted several years ago, the Police Jury gives 5 percent of its total -- $2,167.18 this quarter -- to the Sheriff’s Department. The School Board gets 12 percent, $15,297.81; District Attorney 4 percent, $5,099.27; District Court 1 percent, $1,274.82; and IDB 0.5 percent, $6447.41.

      The nine municipalities share 25 percent of the distribution -- a total of $31,870.44. Of that amount, Marksville received $6,915.88 (21.7 percent), Mansura $4,461.86 (14 percent), Bunkie $4,398.12 (13.8 percent), Hessmer $3,410.14 (10.7 percent), Moreauville and Simmesport  $3,091.44 (9.7 percent) each, Cottonport $2,804.60 (8.8 percent) and Evergreen and Plaucheville $1,848.48 (5.8 percent) each.

      In addition to the $12,500 the ACT receives from the casino distribution, the casino also matches that amount separate and apart from the compact-mandated payment.  However, in quarters with no distribution, the ACT “match” is also zero.