Northwest Indiana lawmakers seek funding for area buses

On the heels of RBA President Dennis Rittenmeyer's resignation last week, State Rep. Linda Lawson said legislators and other elected officials from Northwest Indiana need to work together if money for the area's imperiled bus systems is to be found this session.

A weekend meeting among lawmakers, Lake County mayors and officials from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority was an important step toward presenting a unified front to other members of the General Assembly, according to Lawson, D-Hammond.

"We need to share information, and those of us in the legislature need to see a plan for the future of bus systems in Northwest Indiana," Lawson said. "There has never been a plan before."

Though Rittenmeyer didn't obstruct that work, Lawson acknowledged his resignation might provide "a new energy" to the process.

"It was stagnant. It wasn't going anywhere," she said.

In a letter last week, Rittenmeyer resigned effective June 1. Though he did not explicitly explain his decision, Rittenmeyer has been frustrated with the inability to find a permanent funding source for the region's buses.

It may be necessary to "professionalize" the RBA board of directors to help find the funding, said State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso.

A bill authored by Soliday this session reconstitutes the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission as a smaller body that's more accountable to the state. Soliday said that bill might give a general blueprint for changing the RBA.

"It's nice to say you have local control, but then you get fragmentation, and people looking out for their particular areas, and nothing gets done," Soliday said. "We need to get the buses running, and we need to serve the routes that need it the most."

A piece of legislation under consideration in the Senate would direct federal stimulus money to the South Shore rail extension. That might provide an appropriate vehicle for bus funding as well, according to State Rep. Dan Stevenson, D-Highland.

"We have to have a plan to provide service where it's needed and beneficial," Stevenson said.

Lawmakers from Lake County's northern cities, where bus service is in danger of ceasing altogether, want to make certain buses aren't left behind as the General Assembly considers funding the South Shore rail project.

"The South Shore extension and the RBA should be joined at the hip," said Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary. "My support for rail depends on how well the buses fare."