After receiving many requests to reconsider, the Porter County Commissioners agreed Tuesday to indefinitely table a proposal to restructure appointments to the Porter County Convention, Recreation, and Visitor Commission (PCCRVC).

The proposal made by County Commissioner President Robert Harper, D-Center, last week called for the city of Valparaiso, the town of Hebron, and the tri-towns consisting of Chesterton, Porter and Burns Harbor to give up power to appoint members to the PCCRVC.

The ordinance would have doubled the number of PCCRVC members appointed by the commissioners from three to six.

The commissioners announced in an e-mail Monday that the proposed ordinance had been dropped from Tuesday’s meeting agenda.

Harper said he pulled the discussion because he felt the concept was widely misunderstood after receiving a large number of phone calls.

In his statement during the meeting, Harper defended his proposal for a change in the PCCRVC appointments, citing a state statute that established county tourism bureaus. The statute contemplates giving county commissioners six appointments, two appointments by the largest city in the county, and a single appointment made by the County Council.

Harper addressed particular reactions to the ordinance such as the response from Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas, who said Valparaiso hotels contribute nearly 40 percent of the county tourism’s revenue and should have more of a say on the tourism commission. Costas’ statement reflects another proposal which surfaced earlier this year that would have given communities with the largest share of hotel tax revenue more representation on the commission.

Harper said statements like Costas’ are incorrect because hotels don’t pay the taxes, but instead only collect tax money from tourists.

“It’s like if we raised a gas tax and took revenues from that. Burns Harbor, who has a lot of gas stations, would have some of the best roads in Indiana,” said Harper.

Firing back at accusations criticizing him for attempting to make a “power grab” for himself and the commissioners, Harper said the “power grab” he is making is for the people of Porter County.

Part of the reason he pushed for this proposal, he said, was to enable citizens to hold a public official accountable if they do not like how that official is spending tax dollars. Harper reiterated his belief that “an unelected body should not be handling tax money.”

“I think the voters have the right to say what happens,” he said.

Harper also noted a growing tension between the cities and the PCCRVC’s recent pushes towards what he referred to as “ecotourism,” promoting the conservation and creation of natural resources, lakes, parks and nature trails.

Harper said he felt some community leaders don’t agree with that but said the PCCRVC has done well in promoting the county’s resources from the Duneland Trail to the Kankakee River.

Although Harper gave praise, he also noted there is always room for improvement.

“I would like to see more [money] go to such things like the Expo Center, the museum and the 4-H program. Those things are such a big part of our culture here in Porter County,” said Harper.

The PCCRVC was created by the Commissioners in the 1980s. The Venue Fund for county departments related to the visitor industry was begun a decade ago and earmarked 10 percent of the innkeepers tax for county parks, the Expo Center, the Opera House and the Old Jail Museum. During the aftermath of the Bethlehem Steel bankruptcy the County Council increased the fund to 13 percent of the innkeepers tax. In recent years the fund has been frozen at previous year’s levels and has not been based on a percentage of actual taxes collected.

The commission saved the county a “bundle” then but isn’t as careful today about spending money, Harper said.

Fellow commissioners Carole Knoblock, D-South, and John Evans, R-North, had no further comment to Harper’s statement. Knoblock said after the meeting she agreed with the changes proposed by Harper while Evans said he thought the plan should have been addressed better to members of the tourism commission before the proposal was made.

The ordinance will not appear before the Board of Commissioners anytime soon, Harper said, but he intends for his message to be heard better before it resurfaces. “There needs to be a vision for county tourism but some have different views on what that should be.”

The county commissioners unanimously approved a request of $200,000 made by the Porter County Family and Youth Services Bureau. The amount is to help cover the remaining losses and interest left over from running two residential facilities the FYSB acquired and funded for five years, the Niequist Center, which treated children with severe emotional handicaps, and the Hanson House, which served as a short-term shelter for youths awaiting juvenile court order, said FYSB Executive Director Dennis Morgan.

Both shelters were forced to close in 2007 due to lack of funds. Morgan said the state picked up half of the deficit but the FYSB Board is still looking for ways to rectify the $479,562 in losses, which have accumulated $52,976 in interest.

Harper said the approved $200,000 would come out of an unallocated County Economic Development Income Tax fund but would need to go before the County Council in February before the money could be granted. The FYSB currently receives $500,000 annually from the County Council for its general operation.

After declaring the five boilers at the Porter County Jail in an emergency state last month, the county commissioners were expected to make their decision Tuesday on replacing the boilers with three new ones, but found they still have questions that need to be settled.

DLZ Indiana Representatives Mike Jabo and Richard Dorney presented bid proposals submitted by firms Trane, Johnson Controls, and Mechanical Concepts. DLZ recommended the commissioners go with an AirCo Boiler but the commissioners are also considering a less expensive Fulton Boiler. Representatives from all three firms were given five minutes to elaborate on the specifics of their proposal regarding each boiler and warranties.

Even after the discussions, the commissioners still felt they needed more time to consider which boiler is best suited for the jail, but also realized their decision needed to be prompt as efficient heating will be needed through the winter.

“We declared this an emergency and we need to act,” said Evans.

The commissioners will hold a special meeting early next week announcing their pick and in the meantime continue to ask questions of the bidding firms.

Jabo also mentioned to the commissioners DLZ’s intentions to replace an older boiler in the Old Jail Museum. He said he is still developing maintenance contracts for the replacement. He is considering having the radiators at the museum flushed out to generate more heat until the boiler can be replaced.

Posted 12/16/2009