COEUR d'ALENE - The final vote on the McEuen Field conceptual plan will come from the Coeur d'Alene City Council.

The city's General Services Committee said Tuesday that elected representatives are voted in to do their jobs, and that means making difficult decisions on passionate public issues.

McEuen Field's fate won't be decided by the public in an up-or-down vote at the ballot box.

"That's exactly what you're here for," Jennifer Drake told the three-person committee, on the responsibility of the city officials. "To represent us."

Around 50 people showed up in the Community Room of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library to discuss the possibility of bringing the idea for a public vote to the City Council.

The first step to get it to the council's desk is to vet the idea through the GSC, a subcommittee of the City Council. That committee can recommend or not recommend a stance to the council.

Or it can kill an idea at its own desk.

That's what happened Tuesday.

Committee member Ron Edinger motioned to forward the vote to the City Council. Member John Bruning didn't second it. When Committee Chair Mike Kennedy didn't second it either, the issue was dead.

"I was not elected to dodge the tough issues," Kennedy said.

Kennedy added he didn't know which way he would vote. Equal or better replacement facilities will have to be secured for outgoing park staples before he decides either way. But as far as the vote, it's the council's responsibility, he said.

"It's disappointing of course," said Rita Sims-Snyder, who along with Friends of McEuen advocate Julie Clark scheduled the discussion for the committee.

"We pretty much could have guessed walking in there which way it was going to go," she said after the meeting. "We didn't know they were going to pack the room ... Their mind is already made up."

By show of a sign up sheet, 26 people opposed the public vote and 14 were in favor of it.

The issue for a vote came up quickly after a show of hands at the third public meeting on the park's conceptual presentation said that they would prefer a public vote.

Tuesday, attorney Scott Reed pointed out that Idaho law doesn't allow city administrative issues to come to public vote. Bond issues regarding cities and debts can be, as can legislative issues such as laws and ordinances. But administrative issues such as park improvements without bond measures can't be, he said.

Kennedy said it was better to avoid any decision that could be challenged at the legal level should the park have been put up for vote.

But some felt the public voting option would be a benefit since so many unknowns are still out there. How much will it cost? Who, besides the city's urban renewal agency, will chip in? And why didn't the designers ask the people what should be kept at McEuen Field?

"It never asked me one question about the boat launch, about the ball field," said Steve Bell. "What's the real response?"

Drake said there was a bigger community out there than the "vocal minority," who showed up at the last presentation meeting.

Peter Riggs agreed.

"We can't have it both ways," he said. "We either let everyone have a public vote all the time or we let our representatives do what they were elected to do."