Town and county officials are slated today to decide on plans for phase one of the proposed START bus headquarters.

A decision by officials will allow staff of the town and county bus service to move forward with the long-stalled project.

“All we’re asking for Monday is for them to pick an alternate so we can move ahead with a final design,” START Director Michael Wackerly said at the bus service’s board meeting Thursday. He said approval will not grant permission to begin construction.

The bus service’s board of directors will recommend that officials approve an option for phase one that includes below-grade storage space for mechanical equipment. That option would cost about $13 million. The other option that will be presented to officials does not include underground storage. That would cost $11.2 million now, but would end up costing more when the entire project is complete.

Agenda documents for the meeting state that, with the below-ground storage, the entire facility would cost $44.5 million. The project would cost $44.8 million without the underground storage because extra storage space would be added later. Both options call for a smaller bus barn and administration offices than were in the project’s master plan. Both could later be expanded.

START has secured a total of $8 million for the project, including money from reserve funds, federal grants and specific purpose excise tax revenue. START staff expects to get an additional $1.5 million from more federal grants and local reserve funds over the next two years.

START needs about $2 million to $4.5 million more to begin phase one, depending on what officials approve. Construction could begin in Spring 2013.

Town and county officials will meet at 3 p.m. at the Teton County commissioners’ chambers.