Yes or No! Two simple words containing no more than a combined total of five letters have left the voters of Warren County in limbo over the proposals of a new multi-million dollar casino.
The people who are for the new development are keen for it to be given the go ahead as it will bring much needed revenue to the county. Not only that it will also bring in a host of new jobs with early estimates predicting around 600 jobs for the casino itself, plus the 250 construction jobs as well. The people who are against the new proposals want to protect the countryside and the rural open areas, and they feel as though another casino will affect house prices in the area.
One voter who is for the new development is local resident Becky Brammer, and she had the following to say about the new development. She said, “I see people struggling to find jobs who’ve been out of work for so long. We need to do something to address that.”
Another voter who hopes the new development receives the go ahead is Doug Shull, who is the President of The Warren County Economic Development Corp. Mr Shull said, “This is an opportunity for 600 to 800 jobs, and that just doesn’t come along very often. The venue will entice people from across central Iowa to spend money in Warren County.”
The no voters are not so keen and Kyle Jackson in particular is concerned that the new casino development will seriously effect the wildlife in the area. Mr Jackson said, “We see everything out here as far as wildlife goes. Will they still be here with a casino and all that traffic? It will take away from the small-town image”.
So opinion is clearly divided in Warren County and it remains to be seen if the new casino will get the planning permission it needs to go ahead. If the wildlife can be protected and peoples homes can be safe guarded surely the economic benefits are a good thing for the residents of Warren County, but that brings us back to those five letters and two little words, Yes or No. The voters of Warren county will have their say on Tuesday 7th May.
