The question of whether to renew a longstanding casino agreement will go before a Kenosha County Board panel this week.

Members of the Legislative Committee will take the first crack at a proposed six-month extension of the intergovernmental pact between the county, the city and the Menominee Nation.

The meeting will begin at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday in the county Administration Building, 1010 56th St.

Timing is of the essence, as the 2005 agreement is set to expire Dec. 31.

The thick document sets the terms of how the tribe would reimburse local governments for services if it receives federal and state approval to hold the Dairyland Greyhound Park property in trust to develop a casino complex.

It also outlines the rules and regulations the tribe would agree to follow on what would essentially become sovereign land.

When the agreement was signed in 2005, the tribe believed it would receive the approvals to develop the project well before the Dec. 31, 2009, expiration date.

Then came years of delays in Washington, under a Bush administration-appointed Interior secretary who was a known opponent of off-reservation tribal casinos.

The project received a denial from the Interior Department in January, setting up a Menominee legal challenge that remains in federal court.

Casino proponents have expressed optimism that the Obama administration will roll back guidelines that led to the Kenosha project’s denial, but a firm timetable has proved elusive.

County Corporation Counsel Frank Volpintesta warned the board last week of a legal opinion from the county’s legal counsel in Washington, stating there is an outside possibility that the local governments could go unprotected if they let the agreement lapse and the federal government ultimately approves the casino.

The project must also receive the approval of the governor, however, before it can move forward.

For many in local government, this is a first chance to delve into the intergovernmental agreement. When it was adopted in 2005, different city and county administrations were in place, and the City Council and County Board had significantly different compositions.

The full County Board is set to review the Legislative Committee’s recommendation and make a final decision at a special Dec. 22 meeting.

On the city side, a special City Council meeting is tentatively slated for Dec. 21. Mayor Keith Bosman said he plans to schedule a committee of the whole to review and discuss the agreement, likely during the week of Dec. 14.