South Porter County Commissioner Carole Knoblock said she is getting together the paperwork needed to place the question of the South Shore extension on the November ballot.

In the meantime, one of the candidates for the Porter County Council, George Mrak, has announced that he will hold an informational meeting on the South Shore extension later this month.

The $1 billion South Shore extension project, officially called the West Lake project, will be studied by a legislative study commission this summer, in accordance with a new law enacted by the Indiana General Assembly. The South Shore bill as orginally filed sought to capture state sales tax in Lake and Porter counties toward the local match for the annual bond payments, estimated at about $30 million a year.

Amidst opposition from some legislators who don’t want to give up state sales tax revenue and a lack of a consensus among the Northwest Indiana delegation, legislators amended the bill to require a legislative commission to study funding options for the project. The study commission is to file its report by Nov. 1.

Knoblock said on Friday it’s too late to get a referendum on the May ballot, but that she intends to do what’s needed to put the issue on the November 4 ballot.

Both of Knoblock’s colleagues, Porter County Commissioner Robert Harper and North Porter County John Evans, have also publicly called for a referendum on the South Shore extension. Knoblock said it’s her understanding that the commissioners would be the ones to approve the referendum and that it would be non-binding.

In the meantime, Mrak has announced that he will host a “town hall meeting” on the South Shore extension at 1:30 p.m., Sunday, April 27 at the Porter County Expo Center East.

He said he has invited various regional organizations and officials involved in the project to participate. The public will be invited to comment and ask questions of the guest panelists.

Both Knoblock and Mrak are on the ballot this year. Knoblock is unopposed in the Democrat primary for her commissioner seat, but will face the winner of the Republican primary between Jim Murphy and Andy Vasquez. Mrak is one of five Republicans vying in the May primary for the three at-large council seats; the other GOP candidates are incumbent James Burge, incumbent William Carmichael, Donna Levi and Sandy Snyder. The three who win the Republican primary will face the three who win the Democrat primary, which consists of candidates Laura Shurr Blaney, Sylvia Graham, John Steffen, and incumbent Dan Whitten.

Posted 4/7/2008