Representatives from Chesterton, Porter, Burns Harbor, Valparaiso and Portage teamed up Monday to issue a public plea to county leaders: Stay in the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.

At a press conference held at Portage Lakefront Park, the municipal officials called the RDA an important economic development tool as they urged the Porter County Council to reverse its April 8 vote to withdraw from the RDA.

The county council will hold its regular monthly meeting today at 5:30 p.m., but the RDA issue is not listed on the agenda. The city and town officials at Monday’s press conference said they did not plan to address the council this evening.

The Indiana Attorney General’s office intends to issue a non-binding legal opinion on whether the county has the legal right to pull out of its four-year-old partnership with Lake County. Spokesperson Bryan Corbin said Monday that Attorney General Greg Zoeller has suggested mediation as one possibility, but that he is not authorized to say whether mediation has begun. He also could not say when the legal opinion will be ready.

Legalities aside, the representatives from the five municipalities said Monday they hope the county council will have a change of heart.

Representing Chesterton at the press conference was town manager Bernie Doyle, who said the Chesterton Town Council is in “complete agreement” that Porter County should stay in the RDA. Although the town does not yet have a specific RDA-funded project, Doyle said Chesterton benefits indirectly from the RDA, citing the agency’s funding commitment for the South Shore passenger service. He also cited the possibility that RDA funds could one day be secured for trail projects in Chesterton.

Representing Porter at Monday’s press conference was Town Council President Michelle Bollinger and Porter Redevelopment Commission President Micheal Genger. Bollinger noted the announcement made earlier on Monday that despite the county’s decision to withdraw from the RDA, the town of Porter is proceeding with a $19.7 million grant application to the RDA for its Indiana 49 Lakeshore Gateway Corridor Development Project, which includes trail connections.

Bollinger noted that the call from the cities and towns for Porter County to stay in the RDA is a bi-partisan one. “We’re all coming together, Republicans and Democrats,” she said.

Citing his experience in development in Northwest Indiana over the span of more than 35 years, Burns Harbor Town Council member Cliff Fleming said one advantage of the RDA is that the agency brings professional expertise to new projects.

He noted the success that Burns Harbor had in securing $50,000 from the RDA for the town’s trail study.

The RDA, he said, demanded that Burns Harbor demonstrate how the trail would provide an economic return, noting how one RDA member insisted that he doesn’t want to “build a trail to nowhere.”

Fleming said the RDA has both the capital and the expertise to ensure that tax revenues are correctly spent on new economic development projects. He also said that trails are an important amenity that can spur additional development. “We need to amenitize ourselves,” he said.

Similarly, Portage Mayor Olga Velazquez said amenities like the new Portage Lakefront Park speak volumes about the city’s quality of life -- and are an important consideration for potential business investors.

“We know these types of investment bring a great return,” she said.

Velazquez said she understands that council members who voted to withdraw from the RDA are representing a constituency that doesn’t support the RDA.

But she also said she and the other municipal officials wanted to come together with a positive, collective message that “there’s also a constituency that represents the other side.”

She noted that the construction of the Portage Lakefront Park last summer provided significant employment for carpenters, bricklayers and other tradespeople.

Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas said the RDA represents a long-term investment in economic development at a “very modest” cost, noting that the county’s $3.5 million dues translates to less than $2 per month per citizen.

He said the viewpoints that have been expressed about the RDA represent a good opportunity for more dialogue among county and municipal leaders.

He also said the RDA can pursue regional projects that can’t happen by themselves, but which can only happen “if we act together.”

Posted 4/28/2009