Feasibility Study Not Done For Proposed Bus System

During the Town Hall last week, City Council member Michael Miller asked the county if a feasibility study had been done. The Director of Transportation, Gary Watson, told him that only the transportation services study had been done. The transportation study is not a feasibility study. Miller asked what the difference was between a feasibility study and the study the county did. Watson said he didn't think there was a difference because that study told the county they were "ready to implement" the bus service "on a small scale". Miller told him "there was a needs assessment study, not a feasibility study, correct?" Watson responded with "I think it's semantics" to which the crowd laughed. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of semantic is "of or relating to meaning in language". According to investopia.com, a feasibility study is "an analysis of how successfully a project can be completed, accounting for factors that affect it such as economic, technological, legal and scheduling factors. Project managers use feasibility studies to determine potential positive and negative outcomes of a project before investing a considerable amount of time and money into it." It goes on to say that a feasibility study has several components: "Description – a layout of the business, the products and/or services to be offered and how they will be delivered. Market feasibility – describes the industry, the current and future market potential, competition, sales estimations and prospective buyers. Technical feasibility – lays out details on how a good or service will be delivered, which includes transportation, business location, technology needed, materials and labor. Financial feasibility – a projection of the amount of funding or startup capital needed, what sources of capital can and will be used, and what kind of return can be expected on the investment. Organizational feasibility – a definition of the corporate and legal structure of the business; this may include information about the founders, their professional background and the skills they possess necessary to get the company off the ground and keep it operational." Nothing has been said by Douglas County about how they will keep it operational past "ridership funds and grants". Grants will run out and they can even be denied said grants. This means that the cost will be put onto the taxpayers. In addition, the county did not provide a total cost for the first three years of service. Fuel costs, bus breakdowns and repairs, staff salaries--none of this was included, only the cost to actually run the route.