Council members debated whether to add $15,000 to a capital note to pay for vehicle detectors at the traffic signal at Second Avenue and College Street or adopt lower-cost traffic-control changes.
Budget committee materials recommended increasing a capital note by up to $15,000 to cover detector installation. During the work session some council members said the budget committee approved only a recommendation to bring the item to full council rather than to approve the additional borrowing. Council members and staff discussed an operational alternative: convert the traffic signal to flashing colors (for example, flashing yellow on one approach and flashing red on the cross street) and add stop signs on College Street, which several members noted would be free to the city and avoid the finance costs associated with increasing the capital note.
City staff and the finance consultant will modify the draft capital-note resolution back to the original principal amount rather than adding the extra $15,000. The council agreed to keep the traffic item on the agenda and to ask staff to draft a separate resolution (and documentation) for the flashing-signal/stop-sign option so the body can consider it at the regular meeting. One council member asked the electric system for any data they had on signal operation; staff said they would bring additional information.
No purchase or borrowing authorization was approved at the work session. Council members recommended further analysis and documentation of the no-cost flashing-signal and stop-sign alternative and planned to consider resolutions at the upcoming regular meeting.