By Jane Huh, Post-Tribune staff writer
Porter County could opt out of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority as early as next week. The County Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on whether to withdraw from the group.
"I intend to get the hell out of this RDA," Councilman Dan Whitten said. "We've lost enough money on them and anyone who votes against (the withdrawal) should be run out of office."
The RDA, made up of representatives from Lake, LaPorte and Porter counties, was established four years ago to fund long-term transportation and economic development projects.
One of its major projects is the South Shore rail extension.
Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas said Porter County's pullout would be a "big mistake."
"There are some goals that can only happen when you work regionally," he said. "We have to act regionally to be effective with the Legislature and getting funding and grants."
Whitten has long been a critic of the county's involvement with the RDA. But a proposal that passed out of a Senate committee Tuesday for a multicounty transit board that has the power to levy income taxes to fund rail and bus service was the "straw that broke the camel's back," he said.
The transit board, made up of Lake, LaPorte, Porter and St. Joseph counties, could enact an income tax of up to 0.25 percent in each county.
"I think when we're sitting in the worst recession in our lifetime, the idea to implement a new tax is nothing short of insanity," he said.
State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, fired back at those opposing the transit board. Under House Bill 1607, the county council and commissioners would each get direct representation on the board, giving them a clear voice in the income tax debate, Soliday said.
"It's just very, very provincial thinking," he said. "If they are unhappy with the proposal, they should come to the table to discuss it, not stab themselves in the eye with a stick."
Soliday said that since Porter County has received more money from the RDA than it has put into it, Lake County could sue to recover millions of dollars if Porter County pulls out.
According to RDA figures, Porter County has received $17.5 million for new South Shore train cars, $2 million for Valparaiso buses, $7 million for the Portage lakefront park and $365,000 for a second Portage marina.
"If that County Council thinks by this kind of tactic they can intimidate the Legislature, they're sadly mistaken," Soliday said. "They will find themselves on a very short list."
Staff writer John Byrne contributed to this story.