The Regional Bus Authority is taking a pause in its push for a controversial food and beverage tax to consider other ways of funding regional bus routes.
The pause came one night after some members of the
Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority encouraged the RBA to consider an ambitious plan to eliminate local bus companies and create a "universal" system.
"We remain open to any other funding option that will help us achieve our goals," RBA Chairman Dennis Rittenmeyer said Wednesday at the group's regular meeting. "At the same time, I hope we can avert efforts to send us off on a wild goose chase."
The food and beverage tax has been controversial in part because the
Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau is fighting to reserve the tax for tourism-related ventures.
Anyone who wants food and beverage tax proceeds in Lake and Porter counties ultimately will have to get them from the RDA. That's because, by law, only the county councils can enact the tax and it then must go to the RDA.
Some members of the RDA at a meeting Tuesday night said they were not necessarily adverse to the food and beverage tax funding bus service. In fact, some indicated they might consider an amount double what the RBA wants if it led to a truly "robust" universal bus system.
But they also asked about the possibility of using other taxes such as the local option income tax or sales tax to fund bus activities.
RBA members tamped down the talk of eliminating local bus companies right away. They argued true regionalization will be a step-by-step process.
RDA member Howard Cohen, a Hammond mayoral appointee, wanted to know why Hammond property taxpayers still will be stuck paying a subsidy for bus service under the RBA's current plan. That subsidy comes to almost $655,000 per year.
"The point is the mayor of Hammond would expect me to argue, if we will fund this, to fund it not only for the regional part but for the cities as well," Cohen said.
The RBA was expected to vote Wednesday night on pursuing the food and beverage tax as its primary local funding source for operations. But the lack of a quorum kept that from happening.
But board members also appeared to be seeing things in a new light after Tuesday's discussion with the RDA.
"The only way we can do this is to turn the heat up a little higher," said Tim Brown, an RBA member and Merrillville town manager.