Could disagreements doom Little Cal levee fix?

INDIANAPOLIS | The sponsor of a House-approved plan to charge most Lake County homeowners an annual fee to maintain the Little Calumet River levee system believes the measure could die in the Indiana Senate.

State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, on Tuesday said resolutions opposing the levee fee approved last week by the Hobart and Lake Station city councils may prompt the Senate to ignore or kill House Bill 1264.

"Basically, what the Senate will say is, 'Hey, you guys come back when you have some agreement,'" Soliday said.

Under the legislation, property owners in the Little Calumet River and Burns Waterway watersheds would be charged an annual fee starting next year to finish levee work and fund ongoing maintenance. Fees would range from $45 for residential parcels up to $360 for industrial.

Hobart and Lake Station want the money collected from their communities to fund levee work in their communities.

Soliday said it will, eventually. In the meantime, Hobart and Lake Station need to think regionally and stop acting for themselves, he said.

"This is typical Lake County, (saying at the) last minute, 'Give me something, and I won't blow up the bill for everyone else,'" Soliday said.

State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, disagreed.

Brown met Monday with state legislators and leaders from Hobart, Lake Station, Crown Point and Merrillville who told him they just want to be heard on the legislation.

"The mayors made it perfectly clear — they have absolutely, positively no interest in killing the bill," Brown said.

Lake County Surveyor George Van Til also attended Monday's meeting. He said Soliday never spoke with local leaders about his plan until it was already before the Legislature.

"He's had an entire year to reach out to these people that have concerns," Van Til said. "There's a lot of frustration that there's been a lack of communication, a lack of interest in other people's ideas."

But Soliday said Van Til is just stirring up discontent so he'll end up with control if the levee fee plan fails.

"He wants to make headlines, big headlines will play in the Senate, and the bill is dead," Soliday said. "Then we wind up with the George Van Til-imposed conservancy district."

Van Til said that claim is "patently untrue."

"If he feels that it has to be his baby or he throws it out, that's absurd," Van Til said. "We're talking about what's good for people."