Daniels urges full $10 million allocation for RDA

INDIANAPOLIS | The Regional Development Authority should get the entire $10 million in toll money it's entitled to next year, Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels said Friday.

"I support that number," he said. "I worked hard to make the RDA real, after decades of people trying, and I want it to be a big, strong force for economic growth in Northwest Indiana."

Next week, the Indiana Finance Authority, a state oversight panel, will decide how much Indiana Toll Road money the RDA gets next year. The authority can assign as little as $5 million or as much as $10 million.

The state allocation will complement $14 million in casino money put up by East Chicago, Gary, Hammond and Lake County, along with another $3.5 million in income taxes raised by Porter County.

The RDA is charged with overseeing efforts to improve Gary/Chicago International Airport, the South Shore Line, regional bus services and the Lake Michigan shoreline. The authority expects to use its combined state and local funding to leverage federal matching grants.

For next year and 2007, the Indiana Finance Authority sets the state's commitment to the RDA. Beyond that, Daniels said future funding could hinge on the success of his controversial plan to include private investors in state transportation projects.

"Part of our Major Moves transportation initiative of this General Assembly is the effort to create large new resources without tax increases in the area of transportation," the governor said.

"And if we're successful doing that, I think we want to look at even more support for the RDA all the time."

It wouldn't be the first time the authority was tied to another issue. The legislation creating the RDA also approved financing for a new $900 million Colts Stadium and convention center expansion in Indianapolis.

Major Moves, Daniels' 10-year road construction plan, needs approval from the Legislature, as does his plan to lease the Indiana Toll Road to private industry.