Memorandum of Understanding between the United Auburn Indian Community and Placer County

The best strategic plans will fail if not implemented properly. Complicated strategies require a team approach and an understanding of needed resources. Key stakeholders need to be identified and given an appropriate role on the team.

A complicated and comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding between the United Auburn Indian Community and Placer County serves as a national model for collaborative planning regarding mitigating the impacts of a Native American casino within a community.

As the District County Supervisor representing the casino site and as Chair of the Board, Supervisor Weygandt played a key role in assembling and leading the county team’s effort. Faced with intense controversy and a well-organized and funded misinformation effort, the county successfully completed a MOU that caused the casino to fully mitigate its impacts on the community. This is not required by federal or state law. Over several years, the agreement has proven to be an excellent foundation for nurturing a constructive relationship between the two governments.

The county team included expertise regarding Native American law, land use planning and economic development. Community stakeholders included Congressman Doolittle, three cities and both supporters and opponents of the project.