City seeks state highway safety grants to augment traffic enforcement on state roads

The Finance & Budget Committee on Sept. 3 recommended that the City Council approve two grant agreements with the Missouri Department of Transportation's Highway Safety Division under the Missouri Highway Safety Program.

Deputy Chief John Bunker said the grants are recurring and enable the department to augment district and traffic officers' work on state‑maintained roadways by providing additional enforcement and education in high‑crash areas. "It just allows us, the ability to put more assets out there, more education, more enforcement, in those high crash areas," Bunker said.

Bunker told the committee the amounts were consistent with prior years; specific dollar figures were not read into the committee record during the presentation. The committee voted to recommend the grant agreements to full council with recorded "Aye" votes from Chair Shields, Mayor Pro Tem Tim Lopez and Council member Funk.