Small Tribe Makes Big Economic Impact in Pinal County
With less than 900 tribal residing members, the Ak-Chin Indian Community is a small Native American Community in comparison to other native tribes in Arizona. The Reservation covers just under 22,000 acres, which is less than half the acreage originally designated for the Tribe by President Taft on May 28, 1912. Still, despite its size, Ak-Chin has made a big impact on the entire Pinal County, Arizona economy.
According to an economic impact analysis performed by ESI Corporation in May 2011 for the Ak-Chin Indian Community, the total output of Ak-Chin Indian Community was documented at nearly $437 million for 2010. By comparison, the 2008 Arizona Super Bowl contributed a one-time $500.6 million impact while the Community’s economic activities are repeated year after year.
In addition to its farming activities and Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, recent economic development has included the construction and full leasing of the Mesquite Building in less than a year at the Santa Cruz Commerce Center; the engineering of improvements at the former Phoenix Regional Airport with renovations to begin later this year; the expansion of the hotel with a tower adjacent to the Casino; the purchase and improvement of the Southern Dunes Golf Course; the rebuilding of the grocery, Vekol Market; and the construction of a family entertainment complex due to be complete in November of 2012.
“When it comes to economic development, Ak-Chin is very progressive,” says Phil Entz, a 21-year veteran of working with tribes on project and property development management and who serves as the Property Manager for the Ak-Chin Industrial Park Board. “The Community is extremely proactive in expanded investments in economic development, partnering, publicity, and accelerated economic growth.“
It is true that Ak-Chin–like most Native American Communities—has a tribal member hiring preference policy. But with so few tribal members, 98% of its workforce comes from off reservation–paying local taxes, purchasing goods and services off reservation, and paying taxes in the cities in which they reside. That’s why any economic development at Ak-Chin positively impacts the entire surrounding region.
While Ak-Chin’s economic contribution to the area is significant, it does not rely on city or county services. Ak-Chin maintains its own public safety services, like fire and police, and also provides for its own water, sewer, street maintenance, and trash services. Moreover, Ak-Chin has supported the Maricopa Unified School District, bestowing a two-year, $3.2 million grant for the 2010-11 school year.
Currently, Ak-Chin bought some additional land in their continuing progress toward self-sustainability. To that end, the Community is pursuing a fee-to-trust application for property it recently purchased. The term “fee” refers to privately owned land. The term “trust” refers to lands held by the U.S. Government for the beneficial use of the Community. The properties in the current fee-to-trust request include an interstitial property known as the “Bunger Property” and former Phoenix Regional Airport, now re-named Ak-Chin Regional Airport. These properties are contiguous to current Reservation boundaries and are historically part of Ak-Chin’s traditional lands. Bart Smith, a Senior Planner for the Ak-Chin Community, says that moving the land to trust status would allow the Ak-Chin Community to efficiently manage the area as a whole, rather than managing different parcels under different jurisdictions.
Although some concerns have been raised by the City of Maricopa regarding the fee-to-trust application, both sides point to their long history of cooperation and that communally acceptable solutions can be found. Ak-Chin Tribal Councilmember Terry Enos points out that the Tribe has grown right alongside Maricopa, with one group helping the other. Enos also said Ak-Chin wants to continue to maintain the bonds it has formed over the years with Maricopa in order to build a mutually-beneficial future.
“We’re just one group working together,” he said.
