From the Northwest Indiana Times:
Regional Bus Authority officials missed their connection Wednesday when they failed to make the agenda of the Lake County Board of Commissioners public meeting.
RBA Director Tim Brown said Wednesday he had hoped to ask commissioners for their support of a resolution putting Lake County government on record as supporting a change in the state's tax code that could produce newfound revenue to keep RBA going beyond the June 30 deadline for its bus service to cease.
Brown said a vote of confidence by commissioners might sway the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority to continue its subsidies to the RBA, which provides public transportation in the city of Hammond.
Commissioner Fran DuPey, D-Hammond, said Wednesday there wasn't enough advance notice to put the RBA on the agenda.
Brown said Lake County Attorney John Dull had been dealing with the issue, but he is out of town this week and commissioners were reluctant to act without him present to advise them.
Brown said he hopes commissioners will convene a special meeting before the end of the month to take up tax resolution.
The RBA had no luck last week getting the Lake County Council to support the same resolution. A majority of council members have been reluctant to suport the RBA and asked all public transportation services within the county to consolidate any duplication in services.
The resolution would urge the state Legislature to close a loophole in the tax code that permits persons with substantial income from investments to take advantage of a tax break designed only for low income families.
Brown said passage of the resolution might be enough to influence the RDA to extend public transportation subsidies until the Legislature meets next year.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/regional-bus-authority-left-waiting-for-county-government-help/article_25577b62-aa36-5251-9811-d7721e2f88bd.html
