Windom Mayor Vetoes WindomNet Sale Ordinance
Windom Mayor Hilary Mathis has vetoed Ordinance Number 211, which would authorize the sale of WindomNet to Federated Broadband.
The ordinance received its second reading Tuesday night and passed the Windom City Council on a 3-to-2 vote. Mathis announced following the vote that she would make a decision by Friday on whether to exercise her veto authority.
In her written veto, Mathis said she believes significant questions remain surrounding both the current telecommunications system and the proposed sale.
The mayor cited what she described as insufficient and inconsistent information, changes and unanswered questions surrounding the proposed transaction, and a lack of sufficient consensus among the City Council and community.
Mathis wrote that because the decision involves a multimillion-dollar city asset and would be permanent, she believes additional review is warranted before the sale moves forward.
The mayor also stated that the veto should not be interpreted as opposition to a sale altogether, writing that she is not saying WindomNet must or must not be sold. Instead, she said the veto is intended to provide additional time to examine information, resolve outstanding questions and consider the long-term interests of Windom.
The matter will now return to the Windom City Council as an agenda item on the September 1st Agenda.
Under the Windom City Charter, overriding the mayor’s veto requires a four-fifths vote of the council. If four council members do not vote to override, the veto will stand and WindomNet will continue to be an enitity under the umbrella of the City of Windom until another vote or process is set into motion.
A copy of the Mayor’s official letter: Mayor’s Letter of Veto