Pushing the public vote to June 4 sparked strong opposition from council member Marty Barington who said “another eight months of dead time” would increase the likelihood of the loan being defeated.
“If somebody will say no, I’d like to hear what other recommendations they have,” said Joe Kippes, a leader of a local nonprofit that formed to raise money for a future dredging project.
Three council members say they are against moving forward with dredging at this time, while four are in favor of the project. The council will vote on a 30-year loan application on June 20.