HOBART | City officials have agreed to draft a letter supporting efforts by the Lake County Solid Waste Management District to turn garbage into ethanol.

The council's agreement Wednesday to go forward with a letter of support followed a presentation at a meeting two weeks ago by district manager Jeff Langbehn.

Langbehn said the district's board voted in March to draft a contract with Genahol-Powers 1 LLC and Indiana Ethanol Power LLC, both of Evansville, and Allied Waste, of Crown Point, to turn the county's municipal garbage into biofuel and more traditional recyclable materials.

Prior to going forward with plans, the district must get the commitment of all communities in Lake County, Langbehn said.

City Attorney John Bushemi on Wednesday advised the City Council that the letter of support from Mayor Brian Snedecor, with their backing, isn't legally binding.

He said before anything is finalized there would have to be an inter-local agreement.

"The letter of support doesn't commit the city," Bushemi said.

The letter being drafted also will ask the county to follow due diligence to minimize the environmental impact when making its decisions. city officials said.

And the letter will ask that the county at least consider Hobart as a host city for a future recycling plant.

City Councilman Pete Mendez, D-2nd, said he had attended informational meetings on the issue and preferred Indiana Ethanol Power over Genahol-Powers.

"I was impressed with their presentation," Mendez said.

But other officials, including City Councilman Brian Rosenbaum, D-3rd, said it's not up to Hobart to recommend one over the other.

The letter of support is just backing the county's idea so officials can proceed, he said.

"In other words, we'll send our garbage there if they can get it to work," City Councilman David Vinzant, D-4th, said.

At a meeting earlier Wednesday, Hobart's Board of Works gave its backing to the county's plans with the stipulation that environmental concerns be considered.