The Rochester City Council on Monday voted 6-0 to override Mayor Kim Norton's veto of a proposed open-gym pilot program at public schools in the city.
The council voted 5-1 last month to put up to $50,000 in contingency funds toward the program after Council Member Shaun Palmer brought the idea before the board.
Under the pilot, the city and Rochester Public Schools officials would open gyms at some schools for a few hours on Saturdays over a 30-week period starting in the fall.
Norton vetoed the idea, arguing the city could find outside funding and community partners to get more gym access in the community. In a memo, she also expressed concerns city staff hadn't had enough time to study the issue before Palmer introduced the proposal.
Norton said during Monday's council meeting she supported opening gyms in the community; city officials have found more local groups and outside funding opportunities to bolster expanding gym access since her May 21 veto.
"This is about who should fund that and how it should be funded," she said.
Palmer said he welcomed outside funding but argued the mayor should have respected the council's vote after considering the issue.
"This is a very simple" council-initiated action, he said.
Other council members said they respected Norton's position but believed the council was within its rights to pursue the project.
The pilot program comes as the city reviews its recreation options after the local YMCA facility shut down in 2022. The property is expected to be turned into apartments over the next few years
City officials will ask voters this fall to approve a $205 million sales tax referendum, $65 million of which will go toward a regional recreation center.