An election in one of Winnipeg's bedroom communities could come down to the handling of a multi-million dollar project.

A new public works building to house equipment in the RM of East St. Paul is under construction.

Current council member and candidate for mayor Barry Schreyer said the building has ballooned from $1.8 million to $4.9 million in costs and is taking longer than first promised.

But Lawrence Morris, mayoral incumbent, said Schreyer is playing with the numbers, and adds initial estimates were for the first phase of a three-phase project. Morris also said the building is only 10 weeks behind because of issues related to last year's harsh winter. The RM’s CAO says the final price tag is actually just under $4.2 million.

The other candidate for mayor is former Winnipeg deputy chief of police Shelley Hart.

Hart said everyone on the current council, including Schreyer, needs to answer for the project's budget.