EGF mayor vetoes roundabout ranking by council

The East Grand Forks council will get a chance to override a mayoral veto tomorrow (Tuesday) night ranking the roundabout project at Bygland Road as the city’s top priority for federal funding.

Mayor Steve Gander has rejected the April 20^th council action to designate the roundabout as the project of choice for $860,000 dollars in Federal Subtarget Funding.   Gander has pushed for continued study of both the roundabout and the reconstruction of 10^th Street Northeast.

In his veto letter the mayor says his sense in the community is that the roundabout may not be the city’s highest infrastructure need.  At the last council meeting Gander stated the lack of a firm dollar amount for property acquisition is also a concern.  “To go ahead and not know these costs and really commit nearly $1 million dollars in federal funding.  Time will pass and we will have nothing else on the long range plan – now we are bound by whatever costs they ask.”

The roundabout was supported by the council on a 4-3 vote.