It's official.

The horse is back in the barn and the sternwheeler's away.

City council has officially approved the push to keep the riverboat as the city's official logo, albeit with a bit a face-lift to bring it into the 21st century.

The split vote at Tuesday night's meeting ends a vigourous public debate over the last few months regarding council's initial move toward a nouveau image of a fancy-lookin' horse with a big "W” for a mane.

Only after local resident Vanessa Brault plopped an 845-name petition on the steps of city hall just days before council was scheduled to adopt the thoroughbred from Ontario did the elected leaders agree to take another look at re-floating the sternwheeler.

Four of the six council members present Tuesday voted to keep the boat. They did so after a second public survey came back in solid support for what many believe is the mother of all transportation in the territory.

Some have argued the sternwheeler represents the backbone the Yukon; that it was the sternwheeler plowing the rivers of the territory which helped make the Yukon what is today.

Others have said it makes them think of Mark Twain and the Mississippi River.

Mayor Bev Buckway voted against the motion at Tuesday's meeting, as did Coun. Florence Roberts.

Asked later why they rejected the overwhelming support shown for the sternwheeler in the second survey, Roberts swiftly pointed to the mosaic hanging on the wall above the mayor's chair.

"Tell me: what's the first thing you see?”

"A horse's head?”

The mayor, on the other hand, explained her objection was about process, not the artwork.

The city had already gone through an exhaustive public exercise to flush out a new look, she indicated, suggesting she didn't agree with the second time around deal.

"But what's your personal preference: the horse or the sternwheeler?”

"I'm not going there,” Buckway retorted.

In addition to embracing the sternwheeler, council voted to formalize the official tagline, "The Wilderness City”, which it already uses, along with "Striving for Excellence”.

"Above All Expectations” was also in the running.

Indicating he did not want to complicate matters for his colleagues, Coun. Dave Stockdale quipped that perhaps the tagline should be "The Wilderness City, Above all Expectations”.

After an initial survey several months ago regarding the city's three existing logos, council hired an Ontario firm for $48,000 to come up with new and single image, hence the horse.