Council presses administration for data and near‑term steps on speeding, code enforcement and emergency power

Council’s Public Safety committee spent its session on three connected safety priorities: code enforcement and big‑item pickup procedures; neighborhood speeding and traffic calming; and emergency power for critical city facilities.

Code enforcement and debris: City Administrator Miss Dukestein explained code activity (reported examples included 34 cases opened, 14 closed and 20 remaining for a recent reporting period) and walked through how complaints are categorized into grass, trash (large items) and property‑maintenance tracks with differing remediation windows. Dukestein and council discussed Rumkey’s large‑item pickup rules (e.g., bulky items must be wrapped properly for pickup) and the limits of public disclosure about pickup processes to avoid encouraging improper dumping. Council asked staff for clearer categorical counts and case‑type breakdowns for future reports so members can respond to constituent complaints with specifics.

Speeding and traffic calming: Multiple council members and a constituent described frequent speeding on residential streets — Goodman Avenue was singled out — and urged action before the next school year. Staff reviewed prior automated counts (a JMA study and more‑recent portable radar surveys) and said the city needs targeted data and civil‑engineering review before installing permanent speed humps because those features can affect traffic patterns and street pavement. Council discussed lower‑cost, temporary pilot measures (painted lane shifts, bumpouts, planter curb extensions, temporary signs and pop‑up demonstrations) and county health partnership funding to test options and collect public opinion. Several members urged the administration to convene the police chief, superintendent and JMA (or the original study contractor) to recommend a timeline; staff said they will pursue grants and pilot work and aim to have plans before school resumes in August.

Generators and facility resilience: Staff said the city currently rents generators for police and fire during outages and is applying for grants to buy permanent units. Administration reported that electrical upgrades are required to host permanent generators and estimated roughly $40,000 to bring building electrical systems into code compliance and total project costs (generators plus upgrades) in the low‑to‑mid six figures; council heard an estimate around $235,783 for the combined work. Administration expects grant decisions in April or May and will return with precise figures and a funding recommendation.

Vacant property at 18/19 Dallas: Council also briefly discussed a city‑owned boarded house with reported unauthorized entry. Staff said police and public works make periodic checks, maintenance has been performed, and baseline utility and maintenance costs are roughly $200 a month; council asked for a written cost/accounting and guidance on next steps (stronger boarding, demolition, sale or proactive redevelopment).

Next steps: staff will provide a more detailed code‑enforcement breakdown, pursue traffic‑calming pilot options and convene engineering/police/school officials for recommendations, and report grant outcomes and a timeline for generator purchases and electrical upgrades.