LEWISTON — Mayor Robert Macdonald changed his position Tuesday on the Lewiston-Auburn Joint Charter Commission process, saying state money should not be used.

“People have come up to me this week, and they are the ones that voted for me, I represent them and this is what they say,” Macdonald said Tuesday.

Led by Macdonald, councilors voted down a show of support for the charter commission’s process Tuesday, putting an offer of up to $50,000 from Gov. Paul LePage to the group in jeopardy.

Macdonald said last week he supported the commission’s process and the governor’s offer.

But like a similar vote in Auburn earlier this month, the issue promises to be back before councilors.

With Councilor Nate Libby absent from Tuesday’s meeting, councilors were one vote short of a full seven. Lewiston’s charter allows the mayor to cast the deciding vote in those situations.

Councilors Don D’Auteuil, Mark Cayer and Kristen Cloutier all suggested councilors table the matter until Libby could be present, but they couldn’t get their colleagues’ support.

When the time came for a final vote, Cloutier voted against the support resolution, and then immediately asked that it be placed on the agenda again at the council’s meeting. Council rules allow a councilor on the majority side of a decision to bring it up again for a re-vote.

Councilors in Auburn voted to support the same resolution Monday night, but residents and foes of the charter commission process promised to take out a petition and overturn the council’s vote.

At issue is a resolution for both cities that says they support the charter commission process. The charter commission needs both Lewiston and Auburn city councils to support that resolution to qualify for an offer of matching money from LePage.

Charter members said the group could spend up to $100,000 in legal and financial consultants’ fees as they begin drafting a legal document designed to combine the two cities into one. Whatever the group comes up with will have to be approved by voters in each city independently.

Group members have said they will not ask either city for funding. So far, the group has raised $14,000 from residents and local businesses and has commitments for another $10,000. Member Holly Lasagna and Auburn resident and former Mayor Dick Gleason met with LePage and he offered to match what the group could raise, up to $50,000 over two years.

That money was the issue for Macdonald.

“I have been approached by a lot of people that told me they are not very happy with what’s going on here,” Macdonald said. “I am for the consolidation, but if this resolution is just begging for money from the city, the state or whatever, then I am not for this.”

Councilor Cayer maintained his support.

“It’s quite simple, do we approve the charter process, yes or no,” Cayer said. “There is no money mentioned here. It’s all up to the governor, and he may offer some assistance. I think we are all reading into this.”

staylor@sunjournal.com