The new sewer treatment plant being built on the Oak Harbor waterfront will move forward without a $4.6 million community room.

The Oak Harbor City Council reversed its previous decision by a vote of 5-2 Wednesday during a special meeting after getting an earful from people who said the room was too expensive and ill-conceived.

The council also agreed to look at funding a community center during the next budget cycle.

That idea was suggested by mayor pro-tem Danny Paggao.

Councilwoman Erica Wasinger most succinctly summed up the opinion of the majority of the council: The community room would be a gift to the city, but not if it comes with more expensive utility bills.

“It’s not the most financially responsible thing we could be doing as a city,” she said.

The meeting room seemed like a done deal; the council approved the plan in December.

The room would have been big enough to seat more than 250 people. Situated on the second floor of an interpretive center with views of Windjammer Park, the room would have had a view of the waterfront.

In December, people told the council that a meeting room with a view of the water would be an economic boon to the community, fulfill a need for such a space and realize a decades-old community dream.

After the plan to build the room passed, others from the community began telling council members they didn’t think it was such a hot idea. About two dozen of those people showed up at Wednesday’s meeting.

One Oak Harbor resident told the council she wanted more frugality in government spending. Another said she thought the money would be better spent elsewhere, and the city was trying too hard “to be all things to all people.”

Developer Bill Massey told the council that he’s concerned adding a meeting room at this stage could further delay the construction of the sewer treatment plant, driving up the costs even more.

The council heard from City Administrator Doug Merriman, who said he wanted to clarify some of the details of the plan. He said he wasn’t taking sides in the matter but city staff had some concerns.

The community room was expected to cost as much as $567 a square foot — a number he described as high for this type of venue.

Staff calculated that adding the room at the sewer plant would cost individual ratepayers around $55 extra a year.

The city doesn’t have the existing staff or marketing experience with this type of venture, and that could lead to miscalculations about the true cost of running the room, Merriman added.

“We have not been hospitality people down at the sewer plant,” he said.

The staff negotiated low-interest loans and grants by demonstrating Oak Harbor is a “hardship” city with many low-income residents. Adding a multi-million dollar community room generates hesitancy from funding agencies who don’t expect a cash-strapped city to afford any extras, Merriman said.

“We get that sideways look,” he said.

It also makes negotiating with contractors more difficult, since the city asked them for to be “cost aware” as well.

Council members Tara Hizon and Joel Servatius cast the two dissenting votes — they wanted to keep the community room. They made impassioned arguments, including the need to fulfill a promise to voters that the treatment plant wouldn’t become an ugly, utilitarian box in the middle of Windjammer Park.

They also pointed out many people previously said they wanted the community room.