Scott County has backed away from a legal tussle over the latest move by the Shakopee tribe to place more land in federal trust.
It did so partly for the same reason others have given in the past: lots of legal bills for certain, and no guarantee of a win in federal court.
When land owned by the tribe moves into trust status, it isn't taxed any longer.
The discussions took place in closed session last week, but spokeswoman Lisa Kohner reported afterward:
"The board's consensus decision was to discontinue litigating the appeal."
When the matter was publicly discussed last year, County Attorney Pat Ciliberto argued that the move was "contrary to law."
Board members did not seem as averse to the move, which affects about 150 acres, a tiny piece of the tribe's holdings. But they agreed to consider a challenge.
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community strongly disagreed with the county attorney's reasoning.
