Yountville residents are closer than ever to getting their brand new community center, equipped with a multi-purpose room for programs and events, an expanded library and outdoor plaza for community gatherings — that is, if a ballot initiative drafted by critics of the costly project doesn’t put the project on ice.

The Yountville Town Council voted unanimously Thursday night to finance the Town Center using General Fund-backed Certificates of Participation. Using the COPs  — lease agreements not technically considered debt “debt” — may play a role in defeating the ballot measure proposed by critics of the plan.

The Town Council also authorized the solicitation of construction bids to establish a true project cost, which is estimated to run $10.5 million. Town Manager Steve Rogers said he expects bid results by the end of March. Construction could begin as early as summer of 2008 and would take about 12 to 18 months to complete, he said

“I never thought this phase in our discussion and analysis of this project would ever come,” said Mayor Cynthia Saucerman, who has advocated for the Town Center since discussions began a decade ago.

Saucerman said the process has been “sometimes painfully frustrating, but we’re finally here.”

Proposed projects for the Town Center Site Master Plan, which would be located north of Mulberry Street and east of Washington and Yount streets, include the construction of a sheriff’s public services office, an extensive remodel of the Community Hall and the development of a new public park space. The Arts Council of Napa Valley hopes the Town Center will become an artistic epicenter for the town.

But Renate Halliday, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2006 on a platform of criticizing the size and cost of the Town Center, and others have introduced an initiative that could limit financing for the Town Center.

Debate over the project erupted among some members of the community after the proposed Town Center grew from $3.5 million to $10.5 in only five years.

Critics claim that in 2003, when voters agreed to set aside 2 percent of the town’s hotel tax revenues to fund the project, the town was anticipating a much lower construction cost. Residents voted for the Town Center in theory, say some, but were not given the chance to approve the details.

In November 2007, residents, including Halliday, sought to place a measure on an upcoming ballot that would require voter approval for the town to issue revenue bonds with an aggregate value of $2 million or more.

The purpose of the initiative, Halliday said, would be to give the public a voice on issues that would result in significant debt for the town.

At Thursday night’s Town Council meeting, however, the town’s financial consultant informed the council that revenue bonds are not a legal option for financing the Town Center. Instead, on his recommendation, the council voted to use COPs to finance the project.

Rogers and initiative co-author Halliday are unsure whether her measure, if passed, would apply to the financing of the Town Center using COPs. While the intent of the measure is clear — to require a vote on the specifics of costly projects that would incur debt for the town — the language specifically has to do with revenue bonds, not COPs.

The Town Council is expected to make a decision at its Jan. 15 meeting as to whether to place Halliday’s measure on the June or November ballot. By that time, said Rogers, the town should know more about how the measure, if passed, would affect Town Center financing.

Rogers acknowledged Thursday night that there has been “a lot of angst” with regards to the project due to the changing projected cost. Thursday night’s discussion, he said, was designed to offer a clear vision for the Town Center project.

“Now,” said Councilmember Steve Rosa, “at least we have a number we can start with … instead of running around not knowing what’s going on.”

Even Halliday is pleased with the outcome of the discussion and commends Rogers for finally providing a “concrete spending cap.”

“That was the greatest concern,” she said, “that it was a wild spending spree with no end in sight. In many ways, we are pleased with Steve Rogers and the fact that he introduced reality into it.”

The town will hold an open house for members of the community to review and comment on the project. The open house is tentatively scheduled for March 5.