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Mayor’s veto of DMC adaptive-reuse grants overridden after heated council debate
Summary
Mayor Norton vetoed a DMC adaptive-reuse grant approval citing legislative intent and concerns about cash grants to private owners; the council debated precedent and economic activation before voting 6–1 to override the veto and fund an adaptive-reuse grant for one downtown property.
Rochester — Mayor Norton’s veto of a Destination Medical Center (DMC) adaptive-reuse grant was the focal point of an extended council debate on June 16, after which the council voted to override the veto.
The mayor asked the council to sustain her veto, arguing the DMC legislation and the city’s commitments at the time of the state authorization were intended to support public-purpose infrastructure and projects that broadly benefit visitors and the community — not direct cash grants to private property owners that could produce private profit. "I have a serious issue with giving cash to an individual that will benefit him personally," she told the chamber, urging that adaptive-reuse support be restructured as revolving low-interest loans or other mechanisms that retain public benefit.
Council members who opposed the veto emphasized that the adaptive-reuse program requires a 50% match and that award recipients are investing their own funds as well; they argued the grants activate upper-floor space in historic downtown buildings and contribute to the district’s viability. Supporters said the program complements the historic district’s goals to keep buildings viable and bring life to downtown.
After deliberations, the council overrode the mayor’s veto by a 6–1 vote and approved $245,185 in DMC funding for an adaptive-reuse project at 325 South Broadway. The mayor and one councilor voted against the override.
What happens next: The Destination Medical Center corporation staff said they will review program parameters and return with recommendations to the DMCC board and council to address the mayor’s concerns and program design.
