The council voted unanimously to have two council members hand deliver the letter to Jim Cason, the Interior Department official who will decide on the tribe's project two miles west of La Center.

The letter says a proposed agreement drafted by the tribe is insufficient to compensate the city for "virtual elimination of its tax base."

Gambling revenue from the city's four nontribal cardrooms is La Center's biggest revenue source and provided the city with $3.7 million last year. La Center gambling revenue is projected to decline by 61 percent if the Cowlitz build their project.

Councilman Bob Smith, who has suggested the letter at the March 8 council meeting, said it will reinforce the city's opposition to the project.

"It puts us on record that we feel this thing is going to hurt us as a city, no matter what they do," Smith said.

Last month, the tribe offered the city an agreement that included a $3 million financial guarantee for 10 years. If city gambling revenue dips below that mark, the tribe would make up the difference.

The council decided two weeks ago not to consider the agreement until after a draft environmental impact statement is released on the Cowlitz project. The city also intends to update the 2004 study predicting a 61 percent drop in La Center's gambling tax revenue upon completion of the tribe's project.