It was a measure of hope.

When Joseph Rippetoe, an opponent of the proposed mall at Interstate 35 and 13th Street, asked the Ames City Council two weeks ago to postpone voting on annexing the land for the mall, his hope was twofold.

First, he said, he hoped that new information would come forward in the intervening weeks to show the mall to be a bad idea. Secondly, he hoped the mall opposition would be able to convince one of the four members expected to vote for the annexation to change his or her mind.

His basis for the request was that one of the council’s members, Sharon Wirth, was absent. Rippetoe and other mall opponents hope Wirth, who voted against a Land Use Policy Plan change that also had ties to the proposed mall, will continue to vote against preparation measures for the structure.

The May 11 postponement of the annexation vote was a surprise to Wirth, but she said she understood why opponents to the mall felt it would be necessary.

“If people want the full council to vote on the issue, then it’s necessary that the full council votes,” she said. “I don’t believe it will change the outcome of the vote.”

But the measure may be for naught.

The voting record among the council on issues dealing with the mall would seem to indicate that four of its members — a majority — look favorably on the development.

Officials say they expect this to continue through the annexation issue.

“The expectation is that, since four of us voted for the land use change, the same number will vote for the annex,” said Councilman Russ Cross.

Cross indicated that he will continue his support for the annexation, but would not speak for the other council members.

His sentiment was supported by Councilman Daryle Vegge, who said without a significant vote change by one of the four council members, the outcome of the annexation issue would likely be the same as the land use vote, which passed 4-2. However, Vegge said, although he’d supported mall-related initiatives in the past, he wasn’t comfortable committing himself publicly to a vote before the time to voice it before the council arrived.

Although the annexation issue won’t be the final step in the mall’s development, it is central to the process.

If the land, owned by James “Bucky” Wolford, is not approved for voluntary annexation, progress on the development of the mall at the location would be stopped cold, Vegge said.

Even though the expectation among council members shows the annexation will likely pass, opponents of the mall have not given up hope.

A proposal sent to council members by Jim Popken, Ames Smart Growth Committee chairman, calls for a change from voluntary annexation to an involuntary one that would require a public vote to continue.

While the move is unusual, Popken said he felt the issue warranted uncommon measures.

“This issue is important enough to the people of Ames to need a step that’s not part of the usual process,” he said. “I’m hopeful the council will approve it, because it’s a different question than the one we’ve been asking. Right now, they’re considering whether or not the council thinks the mall should go in. This would make it a question of whether or not the citizens of Ames should be able to have a vote, or if the council is going to say, ‘No, we’ve decided, there’s no need for a vote.'”