The MGM casino at National Harbor won’t open its doors for six more months, but Prince George’s County officials are already feuding over how to spend the public revenue its video lottery games are expected to generate.
The county’s share of proceeds from the games — an estimated $4.5 million for fiscal 2017 — is designated for “local impact grant funds,” which are supposed to benefit neighborhoods affected by the construction and opening of the casino, which will be built on the banks of the Potomac River across from Alexandria, Va.
A spending plan put forth by the administration of County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) allocates half the money to bringing school buildings up to code, with the rest funding 10 new police officers and seven new firefighters for nearby stations, workforce-development training, summer youth-employment programs and community grants.
Some residents and activists say the county should have sought more input before deciding how to spend the money, which they say would be better used to improve roads and sidewalks and fund initiatives in the neighborhoods of Oxon Hill and Fort Washington that were most impacted by the casino.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Arelis R. Hernández over at Washington Post