A northern Wisconsin town has agreed to pay a Chippewa tribe $22,000 to keep reservation roads open to the public for another month.
The town of Lac Du Flambeau's easements on 1.25 miles of Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's reservation roads expired about a decade ago and negotiations to renew them have gone nowhere. The tribe finally barricaded the roads in January, preventing non-tribal property owners from accessing or leaving their homes except to buy food and other essential items like prescription drugs.
The property owners sued the tribe in federal court in February seeking an order to open the roads permanently. That case is pending in front of U.S. District Judge William Conley in Madison. The U.S. Justice Department has filed its own lawsuit in support of the tribe, arguing that the town has been trespassing on the reservation since the easements expired.
The tribe agreed in March to open the roads for 90 days in exchange for $60,000 from the town. That deal expired Monday. Wisconsin Public Radio reported that the town agreed to pay the tribe $22,000 for road access through July 12.
The tribal council passed a resolution May 12 calling for payments to increase by $2,000 every month going forward. That means the town's bill for road access from July 12 through Aug. 12 would be $24,000.
