Bill Dolan, Times of Northwest Indiana
bill.dolan@nwi.com
CROWN POINT | Lake County and state officials remain in a stalemate on whether to hold a special election Nov. 3 for a referendum on establishing a regional transit authority with new taxing power.
The Lake County election board chose Tuesday to do nothing until its next meeting Oct. 20 but wait for a response from Gov. Mitch Daniels and other state officials it petitioned last month for help.
The General Assembly mandated the referendum earlier this year to decide whether to create a regional transit authority that could impose an income tax of up to 0.25 percent to pay for a regional public bus system and South Shore rail extensions to Lowell and Valparaiso. The County Council and Board of Commissioners are refusing to fund an election this fall.
Lake council members and commissioners argue it is fiscally irresponsible for the Legislature to schedule an election that will cost taxpayers $414,000 for a referendum this year but would cost nothing next year when regular elections are held.
The election board declined to respond to a plea Tuesday by St. John Republican Party Chairman Joe Hero to get on with preparations for the referendum. "Absentee voting has to begin Oct. 5. If you wait until your Oct. 20 regular meeting, it will be too late," Hero said.
Lake County elections Director Sally LaSota said they sent letters to the governor, Attorney General Greg Zoeller, the Indiana Elections Commission and state lawmakers Sen. David Long, R-Fort Wayne, and state Rep. Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, asking for help in to get them out of the dilemma of renting polling places, hiring poll workers and incurring other expenses without money in their budget.
Hero said the county doesn't have the legal option to ignore the legislative call for this election and could be in civil or criminal jeopardy for denying voters the chance to make their voice known on regional transit.
Election officials said they would hold an emergency meeting if the stalemate breaks in the coming weeks.