The City Council has another chance to do what it failed to do more than a year ago: Take the first step toward placing the management of the city's rail project in the hands of the best equipped professionals.

That would be the creation of a transit authority, part of city governance but insulated from the politics of those in elective office. It's a semi-autonomous agency that would have to be established through a City Charter amendment, a change in the city's governing document that would go before voters in the 2010 elections.

A similar proposal came before the council before the last elections, a proposal by Mayor Mufi Hannemann. It fell short then, but fortunately, the tide has changed and the current council now seems open to what's called Bill 251, CD1. Under the City Charter, the council is empowered to propose amendments periodically, and 2010 is the council's year.

Wednesday it comes up for a final vote and deserves to pass.

Among its key components:

• The authority would comprise a policy-making board of directors, an executive director the board would hire, and supporting staff. The board composition is balanced: three to be named by the council, three by the mayor, one by the city transportation services director, one by the state transportation director and a ninth to be chosen collectively. With the city's planning director as a non-voting member, the group will have the connections it needs to coordinate the development of the project.

• The authority would have the power of eminent domain, to condemn property needed for the rail alignment. However, the council could intervene to block the condemnation if it acts within 45 days of receiving notice of condemnation. This allows oversight that may be needed for unforeseen conflicts, but the time limits should ensure that interruptions will be rare.

• It would have broad powers over construction and operation, including making and execute contracts, establish fares, direct the planning, design and construction and assist with transit-oriented development.

The council would be wise to enable the delegation of such critical duties to a board with expertise, rather than to a body that has members up for election every two years.

That's a disruption that would cripple a complex and expensive undertaking such as transit development. Let's see that Honolulu's largest public works project has every chance at success.