TRI-TOWN | Leaders in Schererville, St. John and Dyer want to have a voice in regional bus talks, but for nearly a year, no one has officially represented the communities.

Mike Troxell, a former Schererville councilman, represented Tri-Town on the Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority but stopped when his term as councilman ended Dec. 31.

No one has attended the monthly meetings this year, RBA Chairman Dennis Rittenmeyer said.

"If there's no one speaking for them, maybe they don't get as much attention as if they had their own representative," he said.

It's unclear why the towns have had such a difficult time filling the position.

Schererville Town Manager Bob Volkmann said he asked about a half dozen people if they would be interested, but the monthly meetings are during the day, which can be a difficult time for people to commit.

Volkmann said he would work with Dyer Town Manager Joe Neeb and St. John Town Manager Steve Kil to find a representative.

Neeb said since the last Tri-Town voice to the RBA came from Schererville, he would like to see the next person come from Dyer.

Dyer officials have been talking about finding a representative the last three or four months but with no success.

"What we'd really like to have is a citizen with an interest to serve," Neeb said.

But it can be tough, because a lot of people think the RBA has the most impact on northern Lake County, Neeb said.

"They're not certain what the RBA does for them," he said. "Nobody is coming out of the woodwork and jumping up and saying, 'Oh, pick me!'"

Kil said Tri-Town should have representation on the RBA, and he suggested a councilman or town manager fill the position.

"Quite honestly, it fell off the radar that Mike Troxell vacated that position," he said. "It would probably be appropriate if the three town managers sat down and recommended a course of action to our town councils."

Rittenmeyer said the RBA Tri-Town representative doesn't have to be an elected official, although all three towns must agree on the person. That shouldn't be a problem, because other RBA members represent five or more communities, he said.

Rittenmeyer said he'd like to see a Tri-Town representative who supports public transportation and understands it is a two-way conversation between the RBA and the constituents.

He said he'd like to see a disabled person on the RBA, to shed light on the needs of that population.