NIRPC: South Shore 'yes,' new taxes 'no'

BY KEITH BENMAN, Times of Northwest Indiana
kbenman@nwitimes.com

The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission on Thursday voted to support state Rep. Chet Dobis' plan for funding the South Shore extension, while also taking a stance against new taxes.

All 29 members present voted in favor of a motion to support the extension and Dobis's funding plan -- contingent on assurances it will not be in the form of new taxes.

"If taxpayers in Northwest Indiana have said any one thing, it's read my lips, no new taxes," Harper said.

Dobis' plan would divert about $30 million per year in current state sales tax collections in Lake County and Porter County to fund the South Shore extension. That plan is now working its way through committee in the General Assembly.

The long-talked about South Shore extension would take the commuter railroad to both Lowell and Valparaiso by way of Munster.

The NIRPC vote followed one by its executive committee in December that many members saw as giving state lawmakers broad latitude in financing the project, including the possibility of new local taxes.

Thursday's vote, and the one-hour, 40-minute debate that preceded it, was sparked by Harper, who introduced a motion to overturn the executive committee's December action.

The palpable angst in the room over the specter of any new tax had people quoting historians, playwrights and statesman, as they sought to affirm their allegiance to the will of the people.

The final vote on an amended version of Harper's bill featured the first-ever weighted vote in NIRPC history. The unusual procedure assigned a numeric value to each member's vote, based on the population of the jurisdiction they represent.

Lake County Surveyor George Van Til moved to amend Harper's motion so that it did not specifically reject the executive committee's December action. Instead, Van Til's motion replaced that stipulation with one that affirmed support of the South Shore extension contingent on Dobis' current plan for financing it.

Kept in place in the final motion were Harper's stipulations that NIRPC staff meet with the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority to see if the authority can raise $150 million for the project without resorting to new taxes.

Dobis, D-Merrillville, has said the RDA will contribute that amount to the South Shore project.

At a meeting last week, RDA member Lou Martinez pointed out the group never has received a formal request for support of the project. He said the RDA also has not discussed how much it could contribute, despite the widely circulated $150 million figure.

The motion passed Thursday also requires assurances from state legislators that there will be no "last-minute deal" to pass a regional tax to fund the South Shore.

Winning Gov. Mitch Daniels' acceptance of Dobis' plan could be the key to its acceptance.

McDermott said that two years ago he failed to win Daniels' support for the diversion of sales tax revenue from the Cabela's development to help pay for infrastructure improvements there.

McDermott seconded Van Til's amendment of Harper's motion. He also reiterated the message of the day, which everyone in the room seemed anxious to state.

"The residents of Hammond spoke loud and clear in the last election," McDermott said. "... They don't want any new taxes and that includes the South Shore."