Boise is set to pay the Sandy, Utah, consultant as much as $50,000 per year to work with a future consultant on a public transportation system in and around Downtown.

The council meets at 6 p.m., and is not scheduled to hear from the public on the contract.

Steve Greene's value to the city is his experience working on systems in other western cities, including Salt Lake City and Tucson, Ariz., Boise Public Works spokesman Vince Trimboli said. He knows the pitfalls and opportunities likely to present themselves, Trimboli said.

In October 2011, the city won a $375,000 federal grant to study alternatives for a "downtown circulator" - some kind of public transportation system that would move passengers in and out of Boise. A streetcar is among the alternatives, Trimboli said Monday, but it's not the only one. Buses and other systems are possibilities.

"We're not going into this with any one thing in mind," he said.

At least six studies since 2000 have examined the feasibility of developing mass transit in Boise. In recent years, a streetcar proposal backed by Mayor David Bieter and members of the City Council ran aground when the public and business owners resisted the idea and the plans to pay for it.

This time around, Trimboli said, the city will enlist the public's help in deciding which alternatives fit best.

The general idea is a system that runs into and out of Downtown in all four directions, connecting retail areas, neighborhoods, the medical corridor and Boise State University.

"Any city the size of Boise is a good fit for transit," Greene said.

Trimboli said the city hopes to hire the study consultant to begin developing transit options by late spring.

Other than that, plans are vague. There's no firm timeline for how long the study will take.

Sven Berg: 377-6275