Mayor Mufi Hannemann's administration plans to recommend a new O'ahu mass transit system to the City Council by December 2006, but even that fast-track timetable might not be swift enough to satisfy some members of the council's Transportation Committee.

Several committee members said yesterday they want a decision — not just a recommendation — on the transit project by the end of next year, when the city will begin collecting additional general excise taxes earmarked for transit projects.

"I think you're violating a commitment you made to refrain from collecting taxes before a decision is made," council member Charles Djou told city officials after listening to a presentation from the city's consultant, who predicted that a final selection of a locally preferred transit alternative could likely be made in "early 2007."

Under the city's proposed timetable, a recommendation on the preferred alternative would be made in late 2006, allowing the City Council — which has final say in the matter — to endorse or reject within a few months.

Djou and others, though, said the city should accelerate its planning to finish the process before the tax collection begins.

"We will try to get you all the information you need to select the preferred alternative, but it's going to be very difficult to do it any sooner than planned. We're already on a very accelerated scheduled," said Toru Hamayasu, chief planner for the city's Department of Transportation Services.

The recommendation also must be approved by the Federal Transit Administration before it can be presented to the council, Hamayasu said. "Typically, they don't do that overnight or when we want them to," he said.

While the city law establishing the increase in the general excise tax mandates that the city not spend any money on transit before a plan is in place, it does allow the start of collection before that, said Transportation Committee Chairman Todd Apo.

Even so, Apo said he'd like the city to finish the work in time for a December 2006 decision.

"It's going to be a year-long sprint," Apo said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.