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"First of all, we don't have a lot of choice here," Barbetta pointed out. We've been man- dated by the state, so we have to do something [about the tax collector's situation]." Second, he said, Ford-Coates already had told the board she would be absorbing all the oper- ating costs of the expanded and new facilities through her budget. He continued, "So the sense of urgency here was to get this [loan effort] going while inter- est rates were low and construction costs haven't started skyrocketing." "I understand that," Robinson told him, "but I want to see what the bottom line is … so I can explain to constituents, 'We can't do this project because we had to do this [instead].'" Robinson stressed that she was not implying she would vote against the bank loan when- ever staff brought that to the board. Chairman Charles Hines told County Administrator Tom Harmer, "A little further information would be helpful" in regard to the impact on future projects if the commis- sioners borrow the $9.8 million. Referring to the legislative mandate regarding the driver's license work, he added, "It is affecting our general government …" After further discussion about project uncer- tainties — including the timeline for finding out how much money the county would need to commit to the plans — Patterson made a motion to approve the funding just for the ren- ovations of the Terrace Building and the R.L. Anderson Center. An amendment by Barbetta to add in the extra $3.8 million for the South County courtroom space failed 2-3, with only Hines supporting it. While reasserting her commitment to meet- ing the South County courtroom demands, Robinson told her colleagues, "I would like to try to get those numbers for the North Port library [first]. … We won't have this opportu- nity again [for such a shared facility]." "I said that I would be fully behind planning for it," Patterson added. In response to a question from Hines, Harmer said he hopes to finalize the 2015 fiscal year budget decisions during the board's Aug. 20 workshop. However, Robinson pointed out that the School Board and the County Commission have a joint meeting set for Sept. 30. By then, she said, more financial information might be available about the library. Although the commission will vote to approve the FY 2015 budget at a public hearing prior to that meet- ing, she asked Harmer for clarification that the board would be able to approve a budget amendment later if necessary. "You have that flexibility," Harmer responded. "I want the [courtroom renovations] to hap- pen in the worst way," Robinson said, "but I also want to make a decision based upon numbers and the financial feasibility. I believe we can make the decisions in a few months, having a good financial picture …" Referring to Harmer's wiping out a projected deficit in the county's FY 2016 budget, Hines told him after the vote, "Do your magic again with money if you can." % Sarasota News Leader July 4, 2014 Page 57