The Lake County Council is poised to borrow money to pay off plaintiffs in lawsuits against the county. But while the taxpayers will be asked to pay those legal judgments — with interest — they won't know what they're paying for.
This is a perfectly legal procedure, but it stinks.
The council voted 6-0 Sept. 8 to issue bonds of up to $7 million to settle 18 cases pending against the county. One case accounts for the lion's share of that money, we're told. But what are the details of these cases?
We can look up the cases, to be sure. But the details, which might help the taxpayers know why they're on the hook for so much money, are sealed in secrecy.
Lake County Board of Commissioners attorney John Dull said the funds would settle cases including worker's compensation, personal injury, personnel and the Lake County Jail.
A team of attorneys has been successful in reaching out-of-court settlements in 75 percent of the cases brought against the county, Dull said.
Councilman Eldon Strong, R-Crown Point, questioned the practice of using bonds to pay legal judgments. "I asked, 'Can we use capital bond money to settle these judgments?' The answer is we can't," Strong said.
This isn’t the first time Lake County has issued bonds to pay off legal judgments against the county, but it’s an annoying practice. Paying interest on money borrowed to settle these lawsuits is pouring salt in the taxpayers' wound. Not even knowing the details of those judgments is like rock salt in that wound.
Here's a weakness in Indiana's open records law that ought to be corrected. If there's a legal judgment for which taxpayers are on the hook, let the public see the details of the settlement so they can know what they're paying for.