"The Indiana State Senate Committee on Local Government held a hearing Wednesday on House Bill 1264 the Little Cal funding bill.
The bill passed out of the House by a vote of 84-10 earlier in the session. The Northwest Indiana delegation was unanimous in its support. The bill is the result of bipartisan cooperation and discussion. Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, and Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. worked together to develop a very good piece of compromise legislation.
The current legislation will be the vehicle by which the $250 million flood reduction project will be maintained and repaired in the future. More than 22 miles of berms and floodwalls need upkeep; trees must be removed before they cause blockages. Preparations for closures must be implemented.
The original bill approved in the House requires fees based on parcels. All properties in the Little Calumet/Burns Ditch watershed would pay based on the following formula: residential $45, commercial $180, agricultural $90 and industrial $360.
The fees do not differentiate by parcel size. It was determined that the cost of breaking out the individual parcel sizes would be cumbersome and time consuming."
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/munster/little-cal-maintenance-should-be-shared-equally/article_12521fd1-912d-5f1f-9337-311f5c7eb5c2.html
