By VICKI URBANIK

Two critics of the South Shore extension didn’t have much luck pinning down the Porter County Council Tuesday over the county’s long-term involvement in the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.

At the end of the county council meeting Tuesday, Kevin Cornett of the group, People Opposed to the South Shore Extension (P.O.S.S.E.), asked the council if it supports staying in the RDA for 10 years. Liberty Township resident Alan Hewitt then went a step further, calling on the county to get out of the RDA.

Porter County and the other RDA members -- Gary, Hammond, East Chicago and Lake County government -- each pay $3.5 million to the RDA annually. Another $10 million annually comes from the state, under a 10-year funding commitment beginning in 2006.

Cornett referred to the language that had been amended into the South Shore extension bill, H.B. 1220. The amendment, proposed by Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, sought to require the RDA members to stay in the RDA for at least 10 years and, if they would withdraw from the agency, to keep paying toward RDA-committed projects.

Cornett, citing some of the funding requests that came before the council earlier in its meeting, questioned if it’s wise for Porter County to commit to paying $3.5 million annually to the RDA indefinitely. “If it does pass, are we committed to that?” he asked.

But Council President Robert Poparad, D-1st, said he thinks the question is premature, since the 10-year RDA language has not passed the Indiana Legislature. Council attorney Dave Hollenbeck noted that a Senate committee has actually stripped that language from the bill and instead proposed sending the whole issue of funding for the South Shore extension to a legislative summer study commission.

“At this point, that’s speculation upon speculation,” said Hollenbeck, who is also the RDA attorney.

Council member Willliam Carmichael, R-at large, asked Cornett if he sees any value to extending the South Shore commuter service to Valparaiso. Cornett said he doesn’t have a problem with the extension, but that he has a problem with committing to a funding mechanism, when local government has so many other needs. He also said he feels the issue should be put to the voters in a referendum.

About the only other comment from the council came from Dan Whitten, D-at large, who noted that the council voted 4-3 to join the RDA and who said he agrees that the amendment to H.B. 1220 would essentially force the county to stay in the RDA for 10 years.

Hewitt went even further when he addressed the council, saying that he doesn’t believe the RDA is representing the majority of the people. He cited a newspaper poll that showed that 71 percent of the respondents oppose the South Shore extension project.

Hewitt said he thinks the council members “owe” it to the voters to say if they support staying in the RDA. No council member, however, responded to Hewitt, and the meeting was adjourned.

Posted 2/27/2008