A dispute over payment for emergency services provided on land belonging to the Kalispel Tribe of Indians in Airway Heights, including Northern Quest Resort & Casino, has led to a public spat between the two governments.
The Airway Heights City Council [last] Monday unanimously approved a resolution reducing emergency services to the casino and developments owned by the Kalispel Tribe effective at the end of the month, citing $1.5 million in missing payments over the past three years that have effectively subsidized tribal operations. On Tuesday, the tribe took issue with Airway Heights’ position, saying they’ve provided $1.1 million over the past five years in payments mandated by a state gaming compact that permitted operations of the Northern Quest Resort & Casino, which opened in 2000, and accusing Airway Heights of failing to provide “services the Kalispel Tribe has contracted and paid for.”
