Faced with the uncertainty of not knowing if state lawmakers will delay the upcoming November referendum on a new regional transportation district, the Porter County Council on Tuesday refrained from approving the funds that would be needed to hold a countywide special election.

The Porter County Voter Registration Office had earlier projected that the costs of the special election would be $226,500, but was able to whittle down that amount to $136,500. That cost saving reflects last week’s decision by the County Election Board to use paper ballots instead of the electronic system for the Nov. 3 referendum.

But, as Voter Registration directors Sundae Kubacki and Kathy Kozuszek told the county council Tuesday, it’s unknown if the Nov. 3 referendum is still on, or if, as speculated, lawmakers will call a technical corrections day to move the date to November of 2010.

The referendums will ask voters in Porter, Lake, LaPorte and St. Joseph counties if they support the establishment of the Northern Indiana Regional Transportation District to oversee regional rail and bus sytems. The new NIRTD would be able to impose a new income tax of up to 0.25 percent in each member county.

Kubacki said it’s unknown when the counties will know for sure if the referendum date is moved, with some saying the county might know as soon as next week and others saying the decision might not be made until September. As Kozuszek put it, the question of whether the Nov. 3 referendum is on or not “changes all the time.”

County Council member Dan Whitten, D-at large, was hardly amused.

At the end of Tuesday’s council meeting, Whitten issued a strong statement against the NIRTD and the referendum language that was added to the state budget bill at the end of last month’s special session. Several times, he called the NIRTD plan the “Soliday tax,” a reference to State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, who was instrumental in writing part of the NIRTD language.

Whitten questioned if a delay in the Nov. 3 referendum is actually a way to allow the lawmakers to get rid of the referendum altogether and, during next year’s legislative session, impose the new agency -- and the new tax..

He also noted that the bus systems in Gary, Hammond and East Chicago are financially struggling, even though each of those cities has taken in at least $300 million in casino revenues and each has property tax rates far higher than in Porter County.

“They’re running in the hole. They need us. Or shall I say, they need our money,” Whitten said.

Whitten pointed out that the county council has earlier taken a stand against the proposed new regional transportation agency, and urged it to continue its opposition.

He personally pledged to keep issuing statements against the NIRTD formation.

Also Tuesday, the council approved $155,000 in income tax funds for a new digital phone system for county government buildings.

The VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) system will eventually cut the county’s telephone costs from about $325,000 to $150,000 a year, with the county recouping its initial investment within five years, said Don Wellsand of the county’s Information Technology Services.

ITS Director Sharon Lippens said the VOIP phones will also allow expanded features and functions currently lacking in the regular phone system. She said the county will have more control over some phone features, such as voice mail, and will be able to decide who gets the service and who doesn’t. Currently, various departments have added voice mail, each time adding to the county’s costs.

The plans call for implementing the phone system in the County Administration Center and county Courthouse this year, with the North County Government Complex and the Juvenile Services Center added next year. The county will need to approve an additional $70,000 for the work next year.

Also Tuesday, the council approved the annual distribution for projects that will share in a total of $343,312 in drug-free funding awarded through the Substance Abuse Council.

The funds, which come from fees paid for by those charged with alcohol and drug-related offenses, was approved by the commissioners last week. Among the recipients are the police departments in Chesterton and Burns Harbor and the Chesterton High School Natural Helpers program.

Posted 7/29/2009