Two projects coming before the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority on Friday has board members trying to find the dividing line between their job and the state's.
The question of respective responsibility came up Friday with requests for the RDA to fund a statewide rail plan and a traffic management system for Interstate 80/94 and other routes.
The same question came up before when the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District went looking for money for 14 new rail cars.
"When NICTD went to INDOT and asked for money, they said go to the RDA (because) that's where the state money is," RDA Executive Director Tim Sanders said. "Now our board doesn't necessarily feel that way."
In that case, NICTD had originally planned to seek $31.2 million from Indiana Department of Transportation. In the end, it received $3 million.
Two RDA committees gave both of Friday's proposals a careful hearing and members indicated they might be willing to help. But they didn't want to pick up the whole tab.
The Indiana High Speed Rail Association is asking for $220,000 to come up with a business plan for an "Indianapolis Statewide System" with a primary passenger rail hub at Gary/Chicago International Airport.
In the other project, software developer 21st Century Systems Inc. is looking for up to $2 million to develop a real-time traffic routing and control system (TRACS) that has the potential to alleviate congestion and add capacity to roadways.
RDA member Carmen Fernandez asked if the passenger railroad plan would be just for Northwest Indiana or the entire state.
"I'm asking the question because the funding for the RDA comes from local communities," said Fernandez, who is an appointee of East Chicago Mayor George Pabey.
"And those are communities with significant poor and minority communities. So this is their money," she said. "So I don't know if they should be funding this plan."
High Speed Rail Association founder Dennis Hodges said the plan is to create a station at the Gary/Chicago International Airport the Indiana system's main hub. That will bring well-paying jobs and economic development for the region.
Gov. Mitch Daniels has heard the pitch for a statewide passenger rail system and asked the association to come back with a business plan, Hodges said.
The RDA is funded each year with $14 million in local casino revenues, $3.5 million from a Porter County income tax, and $10 million from the Indiana Toll Road lease.
The proposal from 21st Century has also been run by INDOT and a variety of other agencies, according to 21st Century Commercial Projects Manager Robert Wichlinksi. Purdue University Calumet will be a partner in the project.
Federal funding of up to $4 million is being sought for the project and 21st Century is looking for the RDA to put up a local match of up to $2 million.
RDA members seemed to balk at the prospect of paying the entire local share of the project.
"INDOT looking at the RDA to solve a problem like this is ridiculous," said RDA member Harley Snyder.
State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, was at the meeting and spoke in support of the 21st Century proposal as something that could pave the way to more efficient use of transportation dollars in Northwest Indiana.
After the meeting, Soliday acknowledged the unclear line between INDOT and the RDA is still being worked out and could affect the course of future projects such as the Illiana Expressway.
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