River Falls council approves ordinance to lower speed limits on Powell and Cascade avenues

The River Falls City Council voted to approve Ordinance 2025-07 on Nov. 25, reducing posted speed limits on Powell Avenue and Cascade Avenue.

City staff explained that speed limits are set based on traffic studies and road design rather than arbitrary targets. Scott, speaking during council discussion, said engineers rely on observed speeds (median/mean/mode) and roadway design characteristics to set safe and enforceable limits; he cautioned that setting a limit drastically lower than observed speeds (for example, moving directly to 25 MPH when typical speeds are in the high 30s) is unlikely to produce compliance.

Council members pressed staff on the size of the change. One councilmember asked why limits were lowered from 40 to 35 MPH rather than to 30; Scott reiterated that staff depend on studies and prior examples—he cited a previous change on South Main Street to 25 MPH linked to development patterns. Scott also said City Engineer McCloskey contacted the university to help notify the campus community about the planned change.

Council members and staff said the city will deploy flag markers and temporary signage where speed limits change to alert drivers. After a motion, second and brief discussion, the council took a voice vote in favor of the ordinance.

What happens next: staff will implement the changed posted limits and place flags/signs to notify drivers; the council recessed to a closed session to handle unrelated negotiations later in the meeting.