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Commissioners hear plan to modernize traffic signals and raise street maintenance funding
Summary
Public Works described personnel and commodity cost pressures for the Street Department and outlined a $380,000 MPO-supported program to modernize traffic signals across key corridors; commissioners pressed for historical spending data and contingency plans for engineering change orders.
Public Works staff walked commissioners through the Street Department’s budget and singled out signal modernization and maintenance as primary cost drivers.
The presentation called out personnel cost increases (medical, workers’ compensation), commodity rises such as landscaping and operational supplies, and a $380,000 project with the MPO to modernize traffic signals from 6th Street (Eisenhower→Washington) and adjacent corridors. Staff said parts and software for traffic cabinets are increasingly expensive and that signal electronics can become obsolete in 5–10 years.
A commissioner asked for historical spending data after staff noted a wide gap between 2025 actuals (~$2,000,000) and the current 2027 budget projection (~$550,000). “My concern is that it seems as though each year we’re budgeting for what we end up using twice over,” a commissioner said, requesting a reconciliation of past allocations and a contingency plan for change orders.
Staff acknowledged misallocations in prior years and said they will review accounting entries and provide a clearer breakdown of engineering versus maintenance charges. Commissioners pressed for clearer forecasting and asked staff to return with reconciled historical data before finalizing the budget.
