Their menus will be fine-tuned in the coming months, Jones said.Īlong with the Fire Pit, the Potawatomi restaurant not reopening is Bella Italiana. The meeting that killed the idea was organized by former alderman Michael D’Amato, now a lobbyist.Jones also will be the executive chef overseeing the other restaurants at the casino and hotel, RuYi and Canal Street Cafe. The jackpot tax is an example of how many of the city’s former council members continue to be engaged in city politics.īorkowski credited the idea for the jackp0t tax to his friend and former alderman Jeff Pawlinski. Aldermanic Influence, Even After Leaving Office In 2020, the casino reported an average of 220 taxable jackpots occurred daily. Under federal law, Potawatomi already reports winnings at or above $1,200 as income to the state and federal government. The hotel complex alone yields $2.5 million in property tax revenue and is the fourth most valuable property in the city. Potawatomi also pays property taxes on its non-casino properties. He noted that DPW needs a number of spare parts and regularly harvests usable items from larger pieces, like street lights, that are damaged.Īn agreement with Potawatomi has the city set to receive $5.75 million in 2022, part of an annual payment in lieu of taxes from the casino to the city. Interim Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke said it is something DPW would explore, especially since it could use the space.

“My eyes got as big as saucers when I saw all the stuff in the yard,” he said. The alderman said the idea came to him after getting a tour of the facility, 1540 W. Last Thursday at a meeting of the Public Safety & Health Committee, Borkowski floated the idea of selling excess equipment from the Department of Public Works yard across from the casino to raise money to upgrade street lights.

Potawatomi casino chili cook off