Lake County Councilman Randy Niemeyer’s plan to form the Lake County Efficiency Committee failed to get off the ground.
The Lake County Council, voting along party lines, turned down the proposal 5-2 on Tuesday.
Niemeyer, R-7th, was hoping to launch the committee ahead of the upcoming budget cycle and the state’s new property tax law.
Under his proposal, the committee would work toward finding areas for cost reduction, waste elimination and resource optimization, according to his plan.
Its main goal, Niemeyer said, is for the committee to reduce the county’s budget by 20% by June 2026 and to be implemented in the 2027 budget cycle.
Niemeyer said the committee will help the county meet the goals of Senate Enrolled Act 1, which will reduce property taxes up to $300 for two-thirds of taxpayers on their 2026 property tax bill while local governments lose $1.4 billion through 2028, which he referred to as the “year of the cliff.”
The committee would be focused on cost-cutting, expense shifting, waste reduction in spending and services as well as sustainability, which would focus on the long-term fiscal health of the county, according to the proposal.
Its focus would be on administrative operations, public safety, infrastructure and public works, health and social services and judicial and correctional systems. The committee won’t review capital projects funded by bonds, federal pass-through funds, or areas that require voter approval, according to the proposal.
Council President Christine Cid, D-5th, in a prepared statement, spoke against Niemeyer’s proposal and termed SB 1 a “big, ugly bill.”
“(It) does little to reduce homeowners’ property taxes and is at the expense of cutting police and fire, public school funding, basic services, feeding the needy, Medicare and other public health care. May I remind you, Indiana has the highest infant mortality rate,” Cid said in her statement.
“As Councilman Niemeyer stated at a previous council meeting, the narrative of the Republican majority that the increase in property taxes is due to massive local taxes is false. We have been good stewards of the taxpayers’ money. We do not have lavish surpluses. We have lived within the growth quotient established by the Department of Local Government Finance,” she said.
“The council currently has an efficiency committee at the request of Councilman Charlie Brown. I realize the committee has been idle. That is due to the fiscal responsibility of this council and the guidance of our financial director Scott Schmal, working with departments in understanding the budget process. We have made many strides in reducing encumbrances and have had very limited appropriations requests by the departments,” she said.
“Can we be more efficient? Yes, we can. But, not because our budgets are bloated or there is exorbitant waste. The county is audited every year. If anyone feels there is fraud, you should report it to the State Board of Accounts and/or the Lake County Prosecutor,” she said.
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Also speaking against the proposal was Councilman Ted Bilski, D-6th, who said he “couldn’t go in this direction.”
Councilman Pete Lindermulder, R-4th, voted in favor of the proposal, as did Niemeyer.
“If we do have a shortfall, we have to cut 20%. Wouldn’t it be better to have a discussion now?” Lindermulder asked.
According to Niemeyer’s plan, the committee would consist of two council members to serve as chair and vice-chair, along with an additional council member or designee, various county department heads, and two independent experts in public finance or local government. The council would vote to approve the members, according to the proposal.
The members, who would serve voluntarily, would serve through Dec. 31, 2026, or when the final recommendations are made, whichever is first. They would be tasked with conducting regular reviews and audits, engaging stakeholders through public meetings, collaborating with county staff for data access and writing interim and final reports, according to the proposal.
Niemeyer proposed that the committee be formed in September or October 2025 and submit a final report by June 2026.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.