By John Byrne, Post-Tribune staff writer
CROWN POINT -- The Lake County commissioners vetoed a new income tax Wednesday, a move that seems likely only to delay enactment of the tax.
By a 2-1 vote, the commissioners overturned the 1 percent tax.
The proposal will now head back to the Lake County Council, which apparently has the five votes in favor of the tax necessary to override the veto.
But Commissioners Gerry Scheub and Fran DuPey got in their licks Wednesday, using their bully pulpit to criticize the tax and those who support it.
After letting members of the audience testify about the tax, Scheub blasted the County Council for not allowing public comment at its two meetings on the proposal.
"I don't want to be part of a political party in government that doesn't allow people to express their God-given right to free speech," Scheub said.
DuPey, too, questioned her own desire to remain a Democrat the day after five Democratic members of the County Council voted in favor of the income tax.
DuPey questioned the legality of Councilman Will Smith's vote for the tax, given that he was recently convicted of federal tax fraud.
She also raised concerns about Councilwoman Christine Cid's support of the tax, arguing Cid's job with the Lake County Clerk's Office constitutes a conflict of interest.
Cid dismissed DuPey's criticism.
"(The income tax) isn't a benefit to county employees. It's a benefit for all county residents," Cid said.
Both Scheub and DuPey doubt lawmakers from elsewhere in the state will adopt a more conciliatory stance toward Lake County once a local income tax becomes law.
Lake County is the only county in the state without an income tax, and the General Assembly will freeze the county's property tax levies if the county does not adopt such a tax by Jan. 1.
"What the Indiana General Assembly will do in return for the Lake County Council enacting the income tax is uncertain and problematic at best," DuPey said.
But Commissioner Roosevelt Allen Jr. argued residents will end up paying more if Lake County bucks the statewide trend and holds out against an income tax.
"I talked to members of the Northwest Indiana delegation," Allen said. "They say if we don't adopt this, we will be shut out (of other tax relief packages)."
The County Council will meet Dec. 27 to vote on overriding the commissioners' veto.