Lack of quorum slows NWI Regional Bus Authority action on transit legislation

But without a draft report from its consolidation expert and no quorum at its Monday meeting to approve a resolution vaguely endorsing the fluctuating language making its way through the legislative fracas in Indianapolis, the board was left with just repeating their committent to regional transportation.

The RBA was supposed to have received a draft of its $170,000 bus consolidation plan for Lake County by last April 15 from consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff. RBA Executive Director Tim Brown told board members Monday that deadline would be missed by a week.

RBA officials were hoping to have the report in time for when Indiana House and Senate's conference committees start meeting and hashing out the differences between the legislature's two public transportation reform bills, House Bill 1607 and Senate Bill 374. Both would create a four-county transportation district from Lake to St. Joseph counties, funded by a 0.25 percent income tax in each county. Among other differences, the House bill would require a positive vote in a county-wide referendum for a county to join the district, a prospect the RBA members considered unlikely to happen.

"Fundamentally, the legislation is a step in the right direction," said RBA President Dennis Rittenmeyer, referring to the Regional Transportation District legislation in the General Assembly.

"I think it's going to be very difficult to get that passed by referendum. And I think it's going to be very difficult to get a councilman to sit on the (new board)," said Lake County Councilman Tom O'Donnell, D-Dyer. "I don't know any councilman wanting to sit on that and pass a quarter percent income tax."

Rittenmeyer said it was important for the RBA to reaffirm its support for a regional solution to public transportation, even one that does not retain the RBA, as is the case with both pieces of state legislation. "If we did not do that, it might be said that the RBA, in typical Lake County fashion ... is only interested in keeping itself in business."

The advocacy group Everybody Counts, which works on behalf of the disabled community, released a statement earlier on Monday calling for the RBA to disband itself in advance of any legislation that would replace it.

However, the RBA, which was created by the state, does not have the authority to disband itself.

Everybody Counts also called on the state to include a representative of the bus and train ridership and of the taxpayers on any regional transportation district, in addition to the elected county officials already proposed to be on the district board.