One amendment specified the precise dollar amount that City Manager Robert W. Healy could ask for in a bond issue to raise money for the expansion and renovation. The provision capped the figure at $31,785,495.

Healy said this was the amount he was planning on requesting anyway. But he said the council's concerns over financing would serve as an "incentive to try to stay within the total budget."

The current cost projections are very preliminary, Healy said. Architects have not yet drawn up a detailed design for the expanded library, and city officials will have to conduct a complicated bidding process to choose architects and builders.

Even though construction is not planned to begin for two years, Healy said city officials would move quickly to secure financing for the project. He said councillors could vote as early as Dec. 18 to authorize the $31 million in financing.

Councillors also passed a second amendment that will require Healy to present a plan for improving transportation to the Broadway site, including the possibility of shuttle service to certain areas.

Despite the prolonged debate, councillors expressed relief at finally making a decision.

"I regret there's winners and losers. I hope everyone will walk out of this chamber feeling like winners for the people of Cambridge," said Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.