Lima City Law Director Tony Geiger recently informed the Lima City Council that the administration will not have concluded negotiations with the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma concerning a possible casino development in time for the Council to place the agreement on the November ballot. The deadline to place the measure on the ballot is August 23rd. Without sufficient time to complete negotiations and present an agreement to the voters, the city has withdrawn from negotiations, according to the Lima News. 

The Tribe’s spokesman, Terry Casey, said that the development plans will continue. Other agreements are already in place with other Ohio cities. The Tribe plans on presenting a package to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but without an agreement with Lima, it will be difficult to include the city in its proposal, according to Casey.