PORTER | Due to delays with the Porter County tax billing and distributions normally received in June, the town of Porter declared an emergency and authorized interfund loans.

The Porter Town Council voted unanimously to approve the two ordinances, one of which will loan a total of $307,500 for the General Fund, Motor Vehicle Highway Fund, Park Fund and Debt Lease Fund from CEDIT funds; and the second to declare an emergency so the loan will not be payable until June 30, 2009.

"Is this a bailout?" joked Councilman Dave Babcock.

Town Clerk-Treasurer Carol Pomeroy explained, "This saves us a lot of money by borrowing in-house until the tax bills go out and we can pay that off -- if we get the money -- in February 2009."

In other business, the council voted unanimously to approve purchasing a new software system for the Porter Police Department.

The software, called Tiburon, is a computer-aided dispatch and records management system that allows for sharing information between departments, towns, and the county, said Porter Police Chief Jamie Spanier.

"This will give the police an advantage over the criminals. It allows for interoperability between towns. Valparaiso and the county already have this system, and Portage is in the process of switching over. It will do a lot for our officers, especially for our detectives, because it puts information right at their fingertips," Spanier said.

He said the county has agreed to do the training for the Porter Police Department.

"They see the value in getting us on board and I just want to thank the county for that opportunity. Plus, we will have use of the maps, templates, and updates the county has," Spanier said.

The cost of the system is $89,550 with an annual maintenance fee of $10,100, some $2,000 less than maintenance on the current system. The funding already was allotted to the department in the existing budget.

The council also voted 4-1 to approve the trash and recycling rate increase, and Town Council President Jon Granat told the public Allied Waste would be providing alley pickup downtown instead of the curb-side pickup due to the quantity of requests from elderly, handicapped and residents.

The council also agreed to meet next week in executive session to discuss resolving a lawsuit former public works director Karl Bauer filed against the town last February after his August 2007 resignation.