With day-jobs occupying the majority of our time, we hope you can take a moment to review the old news from the site, but more importantly contact your representative and ask them to support the newest legislation promoting the South Shore Line extension.

Contact your legislator and ask them to support House Bill 1607

Last update 04/01/2009

By Patrick Guinane
patrick.guinane@nwi.com, (317) 637-9078 | Tuesday, March 31, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS | State lawmakers unveiled plans Tuesday to create a regional transportation district that could impose local income taxes to fund bus and commuter rail service in Lake, Porter, LaPorte and St. Joseph counties.

The proposal, offered by Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, could provide the long-term funding Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, is seeking to extend South Shore service to Lowell and Valparaiso. The plan also is intended to spur truly regional bus service amid waning property tax revenues that threaten municipal routes.

The legislation, House Bill 1607, would create a nine-member transportation district to be governed by one commissioner and one county council member from each of the four counties and a tie-breaking chairman appointed by Gov. Mitch Daniels.

The board would have the authority to impose local income taxes of up to 0.25 percent in each of the four counties without prior approval from county councils. The tax rates would be linked to the amount of bus and rail investments made in each county.

“I think we’re negotiating a concept that has a great deal of value for Northwest Indiana,” Kenley told the Senate Homeland Security, Transportation and Veterans Affairs Committee.

The panel approved the measure on an 8-0 vote, sending it to the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee for further review.

Link to story here.
 

MISSION STATEMENT:

Citizens for the Extension of the South Shore Line (CESSL) is a grass roots organization promoting the extension of the South Shore Line, Northwest Indiana's commuter train system.  The ultimate goal of CESSL is the extension of the South Shore Line south to Lowell and southeast to Valparaiso, all with more stops and more rail-cars to accommodate more riders. 

The extension of the South Shore Line bears numerous benefits, all of which will ultimately be beneficial to the Northwest Indiana region as a whole. Economic development, quality of life, and environmental concerns are at the top of the list.  Rising fuel costs, increased congestion on existing thoroughfares, concerns over green house gasses, global warming and the health concerns that accompany increased emissions all raise red flags, signaling a need for improvement in public transportation.  Finally, and maybe more importantly, the extension of the South Shore line will help to make Northwest Indiana a more attractive place for families and professionals to relocate, for businesses to establish, and for tourists to visit and enjoy.

View the proposed train route here.

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