TUPELO - A long-awaited study of Tupelo's public transportation needs could get rolling by January, pending approval by the City Council.

The municipal Public Transportation Committee on Friday unanimously recommended that the city hire the Jackson-based Neel-Schaffer firm to conduct the four-month assessment.

The firm had submitted its proposal just hours before the committee voted. Neel-Schaffer was one of four companies competing for the contract, and it offered the best price - $24,750.

The committee's budget was $25,000 - half provided by an Appalachian Regional Commission grant, the other half approved earlier by the council.

Now the council must decide whether to approve the contract. Its next meeting is Dec. 15, but it's unclear if the contract will be on the agenda. If not, it will appear on the Jan. 5 meeting agenda.

As part of its proposal, Neel-Schaffer agreed to study the city's current transportation needs based on interviews and census data, to review Tupelo's prior attempts at offering public transit and why those efforts failed, and to look at how other similar-sized cities have successfully implemented a public transit system.

It will then offer three options for providing such services.

"We're not looking for the cookbook recipe for the city," said Paul Swindoll of Neel-Schaffer, who spoke to the committee Friday. "We're looking for something that will fit the unique needs of the city of Tupelo."

The committee also considered proposals from Colorado-based LSC Transportation Consultants, North Carolina-based Martin/Alexiou/Bryson, and Ohio-based First Transit.

Committee members said they preferred using a Mississippi company that understood the culture and region. Neel-Schaffer, which primarily does engineering, also has work experience with the municipality.

If the council approves the contract, it will mark a significant step in securing public transportation for the city, which has been without since the closure of Lift Inc.'s bus program about two years ago.

Another attempt to implement temporary public bus service also proved unsuccessful after the City Council failed to act on the committee's recommendation of a short-term contract with a Booneville bus operator.

Contact Emily Le Coz at (662) 678-1588 or emily.lecoz@djournal.com.