Milford Selectmen Vote To Begin Casino Negotiations

Milford Selectmen voted 2-1 Monday to begin negotiation of an agreement with the developer of the Foxwoods Massachusetts resort casino, which could be put before town voters by late October.

Voting in favor were Selectmen Brian Murray and Dino DeBartolomeis. Voting against was Bill Buckley, the current chairman.

The agreement will be negotiated over the next several weeks, by the town's casino counsel Shefsky & Froelich of Chicago, with input from the town's department heads, said selectmen. It then will come back to selectmen for review and approval.

If Milford selectmen ultimately vote to adopt what is called a "host community agreement," a town-wide referendum will be scheduled, no sooner than 60 days later, potentially putting the issue before voters by late October to early November.

Only Milford voters will have a say in a referendum. Voters in towns that are near the proposed site, including Holliston and Hopkinton, will not get a similar vote, under the expanded gaming legislation approved by state legislators in 2011.

The host agreement will spell out what mitigation steps will be taken by Foxwoods Massachusetts to ease impacts of the nearly $1 billion development, including on traffic, water demands and public safety. The developer, in a series of informational meetings in July, outlined steps it plans to make, including creating a three-mile long collector-distributor road along I-495 that would provide an access off the highway to the nearly 200-acre development site.

The host agreement also will explain what improvements and payments the town will receive from Foxwoods.

The casino, expected to draw as many as 27,000 people a day, could generate $19 million in property taxes, according to consultants.

Milford is one of three communities in the greater Boston region considering developments of resort casinos. Only one license for the region will be awarded by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Everett voters have already approved a public referendum endorsing a casino bid in that city, put together by Wynn Resorts of Las Vegas. Suffolk Downs racetrack in East Boston is the other competitor, but the city of Boston has not yet negotiated a host community agreement.