A firm "no" from Tecumseh's mayor on using strong mayor powers to overturn the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) decision.
Gary McNamara says he will not be using his strong mayor powers to overturn the decision made by council during Tuesday's meeting - which saw council reject four units as-of-right in a close 4-3 vote.
McNamara says he believes in democracy and in a fair vote.
The town was previously approved for $4.4-million under the HAF - aimed at fast-tracking home construction and infrastructure.
The town had already received $1.2-million of that funding, but the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) was holding the remaining $3.2-million of that funding as they waited for councils decision on allowing four units as-of-right.
McNamara says he's a firm believer of democracy.
"Council made a decision, and I respect that. We have to move forward obviously, the clear message from four of the seven members was that the provincial three units as-of-right is what they feel is the way to go at this stage."
He says there's no doubt this decision will affect the tax levy.
"There's $3.2-million that was slotted for infrastructure improvements in the Manning corridor that need to be dealt with, contracts have been set with contributions with the County, the Town, and the development community to establish our stormwater ponds, so we need to move forward."
McNamara says the town won't have to repay the funds they already received.
"That's ours, the $1.2-million. But, the $3.2-million will not allegeable for that, and that money wasn't given to us, we had to fulfill the nine requirements before we were allocated the $3.2-million. So, the $3.2-million will not be there for us."
The decision came following months of pushback from residents fearing how it could change the character of the town, among concerns of traffic and parking, flooding, and a strain on existing infrastructure such as water use and sanitary sewer capacity.
According to the town, a loss of funding from the HAF would mean there'd be a 4.15 per cent tax levy hike.