In a meeting that became feisty and heated at times, Salina City Commissioners Monday evening elected to let a  judge  decide if a petition effort to reverse a resolution to make nearly $13 million in improvements to the Bicentennial Center is legal.

Ray Hruska of Salina is circulating the petition, which seeks to reverse a city commission resolution to fund the project and instead put it to a public vote.

Salina City Attorney Greg Bengston believes that the action was an administrative one, not legislative. Administrative actions are not subject to voter referendums, while legislative actions are. Recent legislative actions include the unsuccessful effort to repeal a fluoride ordinance, and the successful effort to repeal the equality ordinance.

Commissioners Monday decided to have a district court judge rule on the issue.

The meeting became heated when Hruska, who had already spoke on the topic, several times tried to speak again. Mayor Aaron Housholter loudly and passionately chastise him , telling him that he was disrupting the meeting and that he was out of order.

The improvement project has already started. It is scheduled to be completed in September.

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