Rock Rapids, Iowa — Lyon County Schools, Cities, and County government have received another payment from the Lyon County Riverboat Foundation.
The foundation is the non-profit license holder for the Grand Falls Casino near Larchwood. State law mandates a certain percentage of the casino’s gaming take has to go back to the community. The agreement between the casino and the non-profit stipulates that for the first $20 million the casino collects in gambling winnings in a year, they will give the foundation 4.5 percent. When they get up to $20 million, the percentage goes up to 4.75 percent; and when they get up to $30 million, it goes to 5 percent.
The Lyon County Riverboat Foundation is set up to give half of the money in grants to county government subdivisions and schools, and the other half in a competitive grant process to non-profit projects.
The fourth quarter 2017 non-competitive grants have just been announced. Lyon County public schools — Central Lyon, George/Little Rock, and West Lyon were each granted nearly $42,000. That brings up their total to almost $163,000 per school this year, and since the Riverboat Foundation started giving grants in 2011, each school has received almost $1.06 million.
Lyon County cities are given grants on factors that include their population. They ranged from almost $13,000 for Lyon County’s smallest incorporated community of Alvord to about $15,300 for Rock Rapids this time around. That brings the total for the year to a low of almost $50,000 for Alvord to a high of nearly $60,000 for Rock Rapids. Since the grants started in 2011, the total ranges from over $333,000 for Alvord to over $400,000 for Rock Rapids.
Lyon County was given over $17,500 this time, bringing the yearly total to almost $69,000, and the grand total to-date to over $462,500.
The grand total given away to the government subdivisions by the foundation so far is over $6.4 million. Another $6.4 million has been given to non-profit projects in the competitive grant process.
| 2017 Non-Competitive Grants | |||
| Organization | 4th Quarter 2017 | 2017 Amount | Since Inception (2011) |
| City of Alvord | 12,753.49 | 49,688.81 | 333,653.01 |
| City of Doon | 13,166.09 | 51,297.20 | 344,448.19 |
| City of George | 13,710.80 | 53,419.03 | 358,697.57 |
| City of Inwood | 13,422.74 | 52,296.63 | 351,161.79 |
| City of Larchwood | 13,479.05 | 52,516.00 | 352,635.00 |
| City of Lester | 12,859.63 | 50,102.97 | 335,495.35 |
| City of Little Rock | 13,038.31 | 50,798.45 | 341,104.26 |
| City of Rock Rapids | 15,301.60 | 59,617.35 | 400,316.10 |
| County of Lyon | 17,680.77 | 68,886.80 | 462,559.56 |
| Central Lyon CSD | 41,804.17 | 162,875.08 | 1,058,971.58 |
| George-Little Rock CSD | 41,804.17 | 162,875.08 | 1,058,971.58 |
| West Lyon CSD | 41,804.17 | 162,875.08 | 1,058,971.58 |
| TOTALS | 250,824.99 | 977,248.48 | 6,456,985.57 |
