The Butler County commissioners continue to debate whether new construction or buying and renovating an existing building is the best option for easing county government’s space shortage.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-3rd, plans to host a meeting at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 10 in the VA Butler Healthcare auditorium on New Castle Road regarding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ plan to build a new outpatient health clinic adjacent to the VA campus on Route 68.

Kelly is questioning the VA’s plan to decommission Building 1, the largest building on the 88-acre VA campus, possibly razing it, despite the federal government having spent about $8 million for renovations and upgrades to the structure in recent years.

Kelly’s meeting should not ignore the issue of the county government possibly buying or renting Building 1 to resolve its space shortage. Although the building is much larger than what currently is needed to address the county’s need for additional space for human services, the county, if it took control of the building, could rent some of the facility to others, which would help pay the county’s mortgage or rental costs.

Kelly should not rule out exploring the best, most cost-efficient deal that could be worked out between the county and the federal government to allow the building to escape the wrecking ball and, at the same time, help the county solve what is becoming a pressing problem.

There also are other considerations, looking further into the future. One of them involves the courts.

With continued steady poplation growth, the county could become eligible for an additional judge or judges, which would further challenge the courthouse and Government Center’s existing space. The additional space that the county would have on New Castle Road could be a blessing to head off new space challenges years ahead — when new-construction costs will be much more expensive.

Having Building 1 as a county facility would provide the county with the flexibility to have a courtroom or courtrooms in that structure or move a department or departments from the Government Center to Building 1 to pave the way for new courtroom space downtown.

But local politics could come into play. Obviously, the financially strapped city opposes moving any county employees beyond city borders, due to the loss of local services tax revenue.

Whatever the county chooses, the commissioners should not settle for just the amount of space needed in 2012, because space needs are destined to increase over time.

Commissioners William McCarrier and Dale Pinkerton apparently prefer constructing a new building on the old-prison site, while Commissioner Jim Eckstein has proposed buying the HollyPointe building on South Main Street.

Meanwhile, Julia Thornton, Kelly’s spokeswoman, said last month that the congressman “will use the (meeting) opportunity to learn more about the costs associated with the new health center, the VA’s decision to build the new facility off campus and what the VA plans to do with the current facility.”

One of the unanswered questions is whether the federal government would consider turning the building over to the county for a price that is difficult if not impossible to refuse.

Whatever the forthcoming decisions of the VA and county, they must be the correct ones. Kelly’s meeting and the ongoing commissioner discussions are paths to accommodating the best interests of the taxpayers for the short and long terms.