The Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitors Commission voted unanimously for a motion to request changes be made to the county’s innkeepers tax that would penalize properties which are late on their payments during their monthly meeting Tuesday.

The tax is charged to lodgers in a manner similar to a sales tax. The proceeds are given to the tourism commission which spends the money to promote local attractions and hotel/motels.

Board attorney Dave Hollenbeck presented the proposed changes after having discussed the matter with the board and PCCRVC staff.

According to the proposal, lodging facilities collecting county innkeepers tax must forward their monthly proceeds to the Porter County treasurer by the twentieth day of the month following the collection. If a property fails to do so, a late fee of ten percent of the collection will then be issued.

Hollenbeck said the plan asks the county treasurer’s office to notify a property of their delinquency if the facility does not complete its payment two weeks past the deadline.

If no response is received within four weeks of payment deadline, the executive director of the PCCRVC would then directly contact the property. Legal counsel would then send a certified letter to properties six weeks after the deadline and would file a lawsuit to the collect the proceeds if the property does not resolve the delinquency after ten days.

The plan is modeled after a “two-tiered” system in Hendricks County, Hollenbeck said, but the county is not looking to implement the second tier of the Hendricks County plan which would require the tourism commission to conduct audits for the lodging facilities every two years.

Hollenbeck told the board the PCCRVC began collecting the tax locally about 13 years ago which cut the time it took to receive the proceeds 30 days from when the state collected it. He said it has not been a problem to enforce the tax until recently with the recent decline of the economy.

“Hopefully the economy will improve and everyone can get back into the habit of paying on time,” said Hollenbeck.

Hollenbeck said the board does not have the power to enact the additional changes to the tax themselves as it will need approval first by the county council which has the power to impose the tax. Ultimately, the policy would involve county treasurer Mike Bucko who has been in talks with Hollenbeck.

Board member Mitch Peters made the motion to give recommendation that the treasurer bring the request before the council. Agreeing to the motion were the four other present board members -- board president Jeff Good, Matt Murphy, Judy Chaplin, and Pat Jackson.

Hollenbeck also reported one of the three delinquent properties the tourism commission sued earlier this year has agreed to a dollar figure from the late tax collections and is currently in talks with the PCCRVC on making up the payment.

Four representatives from the Town of Porter shared their plans for the $30 million Gateway to the Dunes project which recently has started construction along the Ind. 49 bridge over U.S. 20.

Included in the first phase are upgrades to the U.S. 12 and South Shore bridges. Possible future phases may allow the project to grow southward to Chesterton and even Valparaiso.

Porter Redevelopment Commis-sion president Bruce Snyder told the PCCRVC board that the aesthetic enhancements to the highways will have a “huge impact” on tourism. The project, he said, has been a “heavy lift” but has been able to begin the process due to “very forward thinking.”

“I think this is a story worth repeating,” said Snyder. “It’s a story of an energized town.”

He said twelve government entities are either involved with the planning or funding of the project, including the towns of Chesterton, Porter and Burns Harbor.

Snyder gave special recognition to the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority saying the “project would not be happening if it weren’t for their support.” The RDA awarded a grant to the town of $1.816 million for Phase 1 of the Gateway project.

Details for a 600-acre subarea which were unveiled at a town meeting last month show plans for transforming corridors around the gateway into “complete streets” where bike lanes will adjoin roadways and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks can provide opportunities for many interests, although it may call to cut down lanes used by vehicles.

A.J. Monroe of SEH Inc., the partnering firm which Porter has hired to lead the project, said the project aims to include green friendly infrastructure and implement planted medians to enhance the beauty complementing the entrance to Dunes State Park.

Monroe also mentioned plans to put in a roundabout immediately south of the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center near the Oak Hill area.

The town is also planning to apply for further funds from the RDA on subsequent phases.

Enhancements will also be made to the entrances on Calumet Bike Trail within the subarea study.

“This is a regional project. This is jobs, economical development, and tourism. It’s all regional,” said Snyder.

Board member and treasurer Matt Murphy said he expects the Gateway project to greatly boost visitor numbers in Porter County as well as increase property values.

“It’s going to boom,” said Murphy.

The PCCRVC will join the Chesterton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Aug. 26 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating the opening of Dunes Walk Inn at the Furness Mansion located at 1491 N. Furnleigh Lane in Pine Twp. The ceremony will begin at 5 p.m.

PCCRVC Niche Marketing Director Christine Livingston said more information about the event will be given later this week.

PCCRVC Executive Director Lorelei Weimer said more attractions will be joining the Beyond the Beach Trail in the near future as the tourism commission is now in the process of interviewing experts on site improvement plans to enhance the quality and safety of these sites.

In other business:

•The board approved going ahead with the fall installment of the first phase of the landscape improvements around the visitors center. Yard Bird Landscaping removed invasive plants near the front of the building this spring and will now be working on the rear side of the building. The cost for Phase 1 of the landscaping is approximately $30,000 with half of the cost being paid by the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

•Murphy said the August collection of innkeepers tax was $97,237.90 from the month of June. He said the amount is a ten percent decrease from last year’s August collection, a pattern that seems to be consistent this year.

•The town of Hebron has approved Mike Mantai to the PCCRVC board as the Hebron / Kouts appointment. Mantai, who is succeeding outgoing member Carolyn Birky, will also need approval from Kouts before officially joining the board.

Posted 8/18/2010