Should Gary and Merrillville look to merge?

On this sunny autumn day in Northwest Indiana, residents of Porter and St Joseph counties are voting in the RTA referendum to form a regional transportation authority, which may then impose an income tax of .25% to begin merging and funding transportation solutions for the region. Lake and LaPorte counties are disregarding the law and have decided not to stage the vote, with lots of legal and court battles impending due to these decisions.

Although opponents of the RTA were out early, and some 1,000 voters have early voted in Porter County prior to today, proponents are still predicting a narrow victory due to labor union support of the RTA for jobs creation. It will be an interesting election tally.

In seemingly unrelated news, although regionalism is at the core, an interesting opinion piece in the Times today titled "Merge Gary and Merrillville" from a Gary Indiana resident. I don't know the long term politics of Gary and Merrillville but can only assume that many Merrillville residents will be against the concept. In my opinion though, this is just another testimony supporting Governor Daniels' concept of limiting the size and scope of local government through the much maligned 1/2/3 tax caps.

When local government is restricted from imposing 5 or 6 or even 7 percent property tax rates on property owners, government is forced to get smaller or find new money in user fees. User fees will be either fairer, or in their transparency easier for voters to find objectionable. Property taxes are for the most part a giant melting pot of cash where voters have a hard time deciphering where the money goes. Kudos to the Governor once again for forcing even Lake County to look at efficiencies and possible consolidations.