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Minnetrista to install 20 mph sign on Grandview; city cannot unilaterally set neighborhood-wide 20 mph
Summary
Council reviewed a petition asking to make Red Oak neighborhood roads 20 mph. Staff told the council state law and guidance limit cities to reducing 30 mph to 25 mph by ordinance; the council agreed to install a 20 mph sign on Grandview, increase localized enforcement, and monitor speeds.
Minnetrista City Council members on May 19 discussed a residents' request to reduce speeds in the Red Oak neighborhood and agreed to install an additional 20 mph sign on Grandview and to increase targeted enforcement, but they did not adopt a citywide 20-mph limit for Red Oak.
Allison, a city staff member, summarized the request, noting a petition submitted by Alisa Webb of Sharper Management Company. Allison said the city’s research shows some streets in the area were signed 20 mph under a 1969 ordinance and are grandfathered: "In a nutshell, if we want to reduce it from 30 to 25, we can do that, via ordinance, and we can just we can just do that unilaterally. We can't go below that." That explanation framed what the city can legally do without external approval.
Why this matters: residents raised concerns about children and pedestrian safety. Staff and council weighed legal limits, the cost and logistics of signage, and whether a reduced posted limit would change driver behavior without enforcement.
Council members cited state research and MnDOT findings. Allison summarized a Minnesota House Research Group paper and said MnDOT traffic studies show that "reducing the speed limit by 5 miles an hour doesn't make people drive any slower." Chief Craig Squires and staff reported short-term radar data: when a city speed indicator sign was up briefly, "speeds were between 22 and 17 miles per hour," a sample that staff said did not indicate persistent egregious speeding in the neighborhood.
Public works director Gary Peters described installation logistics and estimated materials and labor: a sign and post cost roughly $100 and two public-works staff would take about "an hour and a half, 2 hours for 2 guys" plus time to request utility locates (about three to four days). Council asked staff to post speed signage where absent so enforcement could be supported in court.
Outcome and next steps: The council agreed to place an additional 20 mph sign on Grandview at the neighborhood transition, have public works install the sign when locates clear, and ask police to increase enforcement visits in response to continued resident concerns. The council did not change posted speed limits across Red Oak or adopt a 25-mph ordinance at this meeting. Staff noted that approving a citywide change to 25 mph could prompt similar requests from other neighborhoods and would incur sign and labor costs.
Council members said they will monitor results and ask staff for follow-up data if residents continue to report speeding.
