By Jane Huh, Post-Tribune staff writer
The combined cost for the four northern Indiana counties having a referendum on transportation this November will easily top $1 million.
A state law passed a month ago calls for Lake, LaPorte, Porter and St. Joseph counties to hold a special election asking voters whether they support a four-county transportation district with taxing authority.
But local government officials and state legislators throughout the area sum up the law as an unjustified mandate that puts an undue burden on county government.
It's not necessarily the ballot question they're outraged about. Rather it's the timing of the referendum that's at issue.
"To me, it's financial irresponsibility to do that," said Lois Sosinski, a LaPorte County councilwoman.
No elections are scheduled this year. So either the state should pay to hold the referendum this year or call it off until 2010, a regular election year, officials say.
Putting the referendum on next year's ballot would hardly have an economic impact.
According to the Porter County Voter Registration office, to print the referendum question on ballots in a regular election year would cost the county a few hundred dollars.
General cost estimates for a vote on the ballot on Nov. 3, 2009, range from $200,000 to $600,000 per county, depending on the number of registered voters and precincts.
Lake and St. Joseph counties each may foot costs of $400,000 to $600,000. LaPorte County calculates a $250,000 expense.
Porter County election officials calculate a $137,000 tab. Paper ballots would be used instead of the electronic voting machines, saving $91,000.
Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, is asking for a special meeting to make "technical corrections" to the bill. Leaders of the four legislative caucuses must agree to call lawmakers from both houses to convene and vote on whether to make the change. But Tallian has yet to hear from them.
The whole process of pushing the budget bill through with little time for review was a "mess." "And now we have to fix it," Tallian said.
Tallian's Republican counterpart, state Sen. Ed Soliday of Valparaiso, also has said the state should pay for the election.
The LaPorte County Council at its Monday meeting unanimously approved a resolution against "rushing" the Nov. 3 referendum. The resolution also calls for action that includes litigation if the state doesn't reschedule it.
State Rep. Jackie Walorski, who represents St. Joseph County, is pushing her county to seek litigation against the state or simply ignore the issue altogether and not conduct the special election on Nov. 3.
Walorski, R-Jimtown, wishes St. Joseph County wasn't even mentioned in the public question. The proposed four-county transportation district would serve only two counties, anyway, she said.
"To me, it looks like the brainchild of Lake and Porter counties for yet another tax to pay for the problems and issues they have with their infrastructure," Walorski said.
"I have zero interest in trying to figure out ways to bring help to Porter and Lake when it comes to enacting a new tax on St. Joseph County."