Council splits on proposed citywide speed-limit changes; asks staff to re-evaluate contested segments

City engineering staff presented a traffic engineering speed survey and recommended changes to posted speed limits on multiple street segments under rules tied to the 85th‑percentile methodology.

Engineering Manager Steven Barragan and City Engineer Dave Gilbertson said the survey used radar speed data, traffic counts and collision history. Gilbertson explained state rounding rules and said many segments qualify for five‑mile‑per‑hour reductions under the current methodology; councilors raised questions about whether the study overcorrected in places with low collision rates.

During debate, councilmembers discussed the tradeoffs of lowering posted limits vs. enforcement and whether changes would meaningfully alter driver behavior. One councilmember expressed concern about legal exposure if a challenged citation cites an expired speed survey; staff replied that an expired survey can expose specific citations to judicial challenge and that judges can exclude improperly supported citations.

A motion to introduce Ordinance 1327 adopting the survey’s speed-limit updates failed on a 2-2 vote; council then voted to have staff re-evaluate segments where the posted speed could be legally maintained and to return with a prioritized recommendation. Staff estimated sign replacement costs at roughly $100–125 per sign and said any re-evaluation can be targeted to the segments of greatest concern.

Next steps: staff will identify contested segments for targeted re-evaluation, meet again with the sheriff’s department and return to council with a prioritized list for action.