SOUTH BEND - St. Joseph County officials are trying to put off a special election set for the fall, saying the state-mandated vote will cost money the county simply doesn’t have.

A provision of the state budget, passed June 30, calls for a referendum vote in St. Joseph, LaPorte, Porter and Lake counties this November.

The referendum, which wasn’t on the calendar until the bill passed, asks voters whether they would be willing to create a Regional Transportation District, which would regulate the South Shore railroad and have the power to raise taxes by 0.25 percent.

LaPorte County officials are taking legal action against the state, asking a judge to allow the election to be delayed until the May primary, for which money is already budgeted.

Having a special election could cost LaPorte County an extra $250,000, said LaPorte County Council President Mark Yagelski, a Democrat.

If LaPorte County’s request for a delay is denied, it will sue the state to recoup the election costs, Yagelski said.

In St. Joseph County, the price tag for a special November vote is $600,000 said County Council member Mark Catanzarite, D-District G.

“I don’t think we can afford it in the fall,” he said. “We don’t have $600,000.”

County Council member Dennis Schafer, R-District F, said he’s all for seeking an injunction to delay the vote.

Plus, $600,000 is a lot of money to vote on a single issue, especially one that might not gather many people at the polls, he said. “How many people would really show up?”

Staff writer Ed Ronco:
eronco@sbtinfo.com
(574) 235-6353