Legislator wants a redo of Northwest Indiana bus authority board

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

State Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrilliville, plans to introduce legislation in this session of the General Assembly to reconstitute the board of directors of the Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority.

Dobis said he wants to get employees of all current region providers of bus service off the 21-member board, which is charged with creating a regional bus service for Lake and Porter counties. Five employees of transit providers sit on the board.

"That board has to be changed," Dobis said. "You can't have recipients of funds sitting on the board."

Dobis has been in conflict with the RBA since it voted in July to pay Gary Public Transportation Corp. $1.5 million to operate three regional bus routes.

GPTC General Manager Daryl Lampkins sits on the RBA board, but he abstained from voting on the contract between GPTC and the RBA, according to minutes of the meeting.

In October, Dobis called for an audit of RBA books as well as a reappraisal of a feasibility study done in 2006 for the RBA. Both are underway.

RBA board President Dennis Rittenmeyer said as of Wednesday Dobis had not told him about any proposed legislation regarding the RBA.

Rittenmeyer said he would support legislation that would help the RBA to function more efficiently while giving it the authority and funding it needs to create a truly regional bus service.

But Rittenmeyer said he will oppose any legislation that stalls the current progress in creating regional bus service.

The RBA president said he has long opposed letting current service providers sit on the board. But the practice is allowed under the current legislation, and those members have been duly appointed by authorities designated in the legislation, he said.

Dobis also wants to restrict the number of communities represented on the board.

"In the old days, every community had to be represented on every board," Dobis said. "But it's not that way anymore."

Dobis would not give any further details on his proposed legislation, saying that would have to wait until he introduces it.

RBA Executive Director Tim Brown said he always has liked the idea of including as many communities as possible in RBA decision making.

"I've always felt broad representation is better," Brown said. "I like having a variety of views and opinions."

Under the current legislation, 33 towns and cities have a hand in appointing 15 of the RBA board members. The number of appointees from each is based on population, with the larger cities of Gary and Hammond getting three and two appointees respectively. Smaller communities jointly appoint individual members.

Five other members are appointed by county councils and commissioners, and one represents labor unions.