Donovan Estridge, LaPorte Herald-Argus
destridge@heraldargus.com
LA PORTE -- The La Porte County Intermodal Task Force presented the county with a $97,000 budget request Wednesday that one task force member called "absurd."
The request was made at the task force's meeting Wednesday night at The La Porte County Complex.
-- $5,000 would cover administrative costs.
-- $7,000 would be used to hire guest speakers.
- $5,000 would be used to fund a trip to the CenterPoint intermodal facility in Elwood, Ill.
- $80,000 would be used to hire technical experts.
Asked whether the task force truly needed $97,000, task force Chairman David Christian told The La Porte County Herald-Argus, "It really depends how in depth we take this. The budget can be amended as we go on."
Christian said the $80,000 for technical experts is necessary to conduct independent studies.
"Unless we are willing to just accept the word of a developer, we might have to go beyond the scope," Christian said. "We might have to bring in experts in air quality, water pollution, economic impact, that sort of thing."
"You are going to want independent consultants to help evaluate the process," La Porte County Attorney Shaw Friedman told the task force.
While Christian, Friedman and others supported the budget request, task force member Ruth Minich called it "absurd."
"I was thinking more like $20,000," Minich said.
Christian reminded the task force that the budget isn't set in stone and could be rejected by the county council.
"The council as a whole may disagree and give less," County Councilman Earl Cunningham told the task force.
Besides the budget request, the task force Wednesday finalized subcommittees pertaining to intermodal concept definition; environmental and social impact analysis; overall cost benefit analysis; additional research/information and criteria for proposal evaluations; public input/education and communication advocacy.
The task force will next meet Nov. 28 to travel to Elwood, Ill., to tour the intermodal facility there. The next public meeting will be Dec. 12 at the county complex.