VALPARAISO | Porter County Commissioner Bob Harper said there is talk about state lawmakers using the upcoming special session to resurrect the idea of creating a regional transportation district with the power to increase the county's income tax.

Harper called on taxpayers opposed to the proposal to contact their lawmakers and request they follow through with the original plan of allowing residents of each county to vote on whether they want to be part of the proposed district.

Some lawmakers have been attempting to strip the referendum clause out of the proposal, he said.

There also have been efforts to strip out a clause to give a county commissioner and council member a seat on the district board and thus a vote on any proposal to raise the income tax, Harper said.

Harper commented on the legislation at the end of Tuesday evening's commissioners meeting.

The proposed regional transportation district was cited as one of the reasons the County Council opted last month to leave the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority, which the county is helping fund with income tax revenues.

Some County Council members did not like the idea of increasing the local income tax by 0.25 percent and felt state lawmakers were usurping local power by creating local entities with taxing powers.

Harper said the additional funding is being sought for bus service in Gary, Hammond and East Chicago; to supplement the cost of the V-Line bus service in Valparaiso as federal funding runs out; and to extend the South Shore railroad to Valparaiso and Lowell.

Harper said he does not believe the proposed 0.25 percent income tax increase would be enough to fund even the bus services. If the county's income tax is allowed to be increased by this amount to 0.75 percent, he questioned how much more it will grow in the future.

"So it's not over with yet," Harper said.