Council ratifies stop sign at Third & Sycamore after emergency installation; other stop‑sign proposal fails amid process concerns

The City Council voted to amend the city code to designate a multi‑way stop at Third Street and Sycamore Street after the sign had already been posted by city crews earlier in the month. The city engineer said the stop sign was installed after review of crash data and neighbor complaints that identified safety risks.

"We determined that this particular intersection created a health and safety issue," City Engineer Bill Borden told the council, referencing crash reports and increased pedestrian crossing to use a nearby park. Borden said there were two accidents in recent years that possibly would have been prevented by a stop sign.

Councilors expressed concern that the sign was installed before council notification and debated whether the city manager should have communicated the action earlier. The city manager told the council he made the decision to install the sign because of an imminent health‑and‑safety threat and that the posting was subject to later ordinance approval.

The city solicitor warned that citations issued under a sign not yet codified in the ordinance could be successfully contested: "If they contest it and it's not in the ordinances... they would win that... proceeding," the solicitor said. Councilors also discussed potential liability if a newly posted sign caused confusion and a crash.

A separate recommended code change to add stop controls at Morton Avenue, Spring Street and Cogsheall Avenue was defeated after council debate over data, potential for creating a precedent for pre‑emptive installations, ice/snow impacts on stopped vehicles and questions about outreach to affected neighbors.

The ordinance formalizing the Third/Sycamore multi‑way stop was approved by voice vote; the Morton/Spring/Cogsheall proposal failed.