The mayor of Killarney, Man., has resigned after only three months in office over the town council’s decision to go ahead with a $10-million recreation complex.

Brian Moore quit Wednesday, after councillors voted to increase borrowing for the complex to $6 million, which Moore feels is too extravagant for a community the size of Killarney. The town has about 2,200 residents, with another 1,100 in the surrounding area.

“We have a problem with our infrastructure, as far as sewer and water is concerned, and we have some upcoming expenses there that we have to look at,” said the rookie mayor, who had no political experience before he took office in January.

“I just felt that the combined cost of this new facility and the sewer and water costs … it would be putting an awful lot of burden on the taxpayers of such a small community.”

The 80,000-square-foot facility is to include a hockey arena, curling rink, community hall, fitness centre, bowling lanes and a track. The building, which will replace aging existing facilities, will use environmentally friendly heating and water systems.

Moore told CBC he would have preferred to see the complex built in phases — starting with just the rink — or for the community to have a plebiscite on the matter.

“It’s never an easy decision to make when you’re standing on your principles, and I don’t think it does well or good publicity for our community either. But I think that I felt that I did not want the responsibility of such an undertaking, certainly with the costs not being totally fixed at the end.”

A byelection is expected in the coming weeks to choose a new mayor for Killarney, located on Killarney Lake, about 300 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.