Michigan representatives continue to delay a project that has been in the works for years to redraw the border line between Indiana and Michigan. Parties from both states met Tuesday morning, May 12, for the Indiana-Michigan Boundary Line Commission to discuss the cost of surveying the state line.

“Some of us have put a lot of years into this,” stated John McNamara, commission chairman. “Every time we reach a point where we’re ready to proceed with getting some proposals on the survey, Michigan throws a monkey wrench into it.”

The commission estimated several months ago that the cost to survey the 105 mile border between the states would be approximately $1 million. The two states agreed to share the cost at that time, but Michigan has since raised questions regarding the estimate.

A representative from Michigan told the commission that the state still has some reservations about the survey and politicians are leery of moving forward. Issues discussed include potential title concerns for individuals living along the border and overall funding of the project.

Surveyors from LaPorte and St. Joseph counties in Indiana offered to seek bids for their individual portions of the border to help get a better sense of how much the entire state line might cost.

“Until we have an estimate, we don’t even know what to tell people at the legislature,” said McNamara.

Indiana’s other three state borders have all been resurveyed over the past few decades, only the Michigan border remains to be done. The current border posts have been in place since the 1800s and many of the original markers have rotted away over the years.

Representatives from Indiana’s northern-most counties are insistent that the issue be resolved by 2018. The commission will reconvene in August.

Source: WNDU