It’s hard not to get excited about easy money.
The latest iteration of the previously voted down casino resort on the city’s South Side is back in play, and earlier this week Mayor Levar Stoney couldn’t wait to announce the goodie package: An upfront $26 million to build two new child care facilities at city community centers, money for parks and $5 million to set up a child care and education trust for low-income families.
And that’s not even the big bucks: $19 million of the projected $30 million in annual casino tax revenues will be funneled to the trust, which will dole out early education tuition assistance to low-income families and grant funds to community child care providers to increase capacity in areas where “school readiness data indicates greatest need,” according to city officials.
