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<br />Advertisement <br />community projects. Coon Rapids Mayor Tom <br />Howe recommended that the city look into <br />adopting a similar system. <br /> <br />Most Coon Rapids organizations said their <br />revenues from charitable gambling are down 10 <br />to 40 percent from 2007. <br /> <br />Still, leaders generally said they can support the <br />concept. <br /> <br />"This is going to come back to the community, <br />and I'm OK with that," said John Keller, president <br />of the Youth Hockey Association. <br /> <br />Some noted, however, that with the dip in <br />receipts, the allocation will come out of the sum <br />they can give to other community organizations. <br /> <br />"The bottom line is, what it's going to do is it's <br />going to force us to focus primarily on ourselves," <br />said Bob Adams, gambling manager for Mat <br />Bandits, "because now all those other charities <br />we've been giving to over the years outside our <br />sport, we're not going to be able to do that <br />anymore." <br /> <br />Liz Reiser, past president of the Lions Club, said <br />her group still is discussing how to best allocate <br />diminishing resources. <br /> <br />"One of the struggles even within our club is that <br />people have different feelings about whether we <br />should be, even if we had money, giving to things <br />like fireworks," she said. <br />Howe has a different take. <br />"Actually, it's the right time because it's something <br />that doesn't cost families anything to go to," he <br />said. "It's entertainment for people who don't <br />have the discretionary dollars." <br />The council will vote on the measure Aug. 4. <br />Maria Elena Baca • 612-673-4409