If Virginia passes a bill to pave the way for a casino in Fairfax County, the chairman of the county board says he won’t put the issue before voters.
Under the legislation currently heading to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk, Fairfax County would need to get approval from voters on whether casino gaming should be allowed before moving forward on a proposal.
Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Jeff McKay told WTOP he would not hold a referendum posing the casino question to voters, should the legislation be signed into law as is.
“If the bill comes out in its current form, I will not support it going to referendum,” McKay told WTOP. “I am not going to subject my residents to vote on something that we know is a bad deal for them.”
McKay said his biggest issue with the bill is how it divvies up revenue. According to reporting by FFXnow.com on a feasibility study, the casino would generate $42.2 million in tax revenue to the Commonwealth and $19.9 million to Fairfax County.
“This perpetuates a pattern in Richmond where the revenue share, the split of revenue, benefits the state,” McKay said. “This is a great deal for the state. They get 75% of the money. We get 25% of it, and all the problems associated with a casino.”
Some critics of the casino are concerned about its possible impacts on traffic and crime.
McKay said he also takes issue with restrictions the bill will impose on the county board of supervisors.
“It severely restricts the land use control of the county board of supervisors, and land use has always been a local government prerogative.” McKay said.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, who introduced SB756, has said a casino and entertainment district would keep some revenue in Virginia, instead of losing it all to the nearby MGM National Harbor.
The plan, which passed in the House of Delegates and Senate, could allow a casino to be built anywhere in Fairfax County with the go-ahead from voters.
It’s the latest iteration of a casino proposal that’s been debated in the Virginia General Assembly for years, with lawmakers initially only discussing Tysons as a potential location.
Before the bill is sent to Spanberger, delegates and senators have to reach an agreement on its language, since the version each chamber passed is different.
In the bill’s current form, McKay said it gives the option for the board to chose whether to hold a referendum.
“The state could always change that,” McKay said. “They could always impose this upon us, and that’s something I’ve raised concerns about repeatedly with my colleagues and the public.”
It’s unclear whether Spanberger plans to sign the bill, but McKay said the governor has generally been against gambling activities.
“I would suspect that whether there’s a referendum requirement or not would be a major factor in what the governor does, because at a minimum, the local government should have the authority to decide whether or not a referendum should be held,” he said.
WTOP’s Scott Gelman contributed to this report.
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