Fairbanks Mayor Jim Matherly (R), who oversees Alaska’s second largest city, vetoed legislation Friday that would grant anti-discrimination protections to the LGBTQ community.

Matherly said he intends to put the legislation, which the city council approved by a 4-2 margin, on the ballot in October and leave its fate to city residents, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

“I do not take this action lightly... As with most concepts, the details become challenging when they affect so many people with different priorities and opinions. It is those details that I think require further examination,” Matherly said in a column to the News-Miner.

The law would have protected LGBTQ members from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations and would have provided an avenue for people to bring discriminatory complaints to court.