10-11-2022 Council Work SessionJOINT CITY COUNCIL AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WORK SESSION
RICHFIELD MUNICIPAL CENTER, BARTHOLOMEW ROOM
OCTOBER 11, 2022
5:45 PM
Call to order
1.Overview of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Removal Assistance ARPA Program and seek direction from the
City Council on certain program details.
2.Overview of local speed limits, staff's ongoing speed limit study, possible options the city can proceed with, and
a staff recommendation for discussion.
Adjournment
Auxiliary aids for individuals with disabilities are available upon request. Requests must be made at
least 96 hours in advance to the City Clerk at 612-861-9739.
AGENDA SECTION: Work Session Items
AGENDA ITEM # 1.
STAFF REPORT NO. 23
WORK SESSION
10/11/2022
REPORT PREPARED BY: Scott Kulzer, Administrative Aide/Analyst
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR REVIEW: Kristin Asher, Public Works Director
10/5/2022
OTHER DEPARTMENT REVIEW:
CITY MANAGER REVIEW: Katie Rodriguez, City Manager
10/5/2022
ITEM FOR WORK SESSION:
Overview of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Removal Assistance ARPA Program and seek direction from
the City Council on certain program details.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
There are an estimated 5,100 Ash trees on private property in Richfield, most of which are
dead or will be dead in the coming years.
Tree removal costs are very expensive and place an unexpected cost-burden on all Richfield
households, especially those that are low- or moderate-income.
At the September 13, 2022 meeting, City Council approved various City-led American Rescue
Plan Act (ARPA) initiatives throughout the City.
$400,000 was designated to Public Works for the EAB Removal Assistance Program, which
will provide funding assistance to Richfield homeowners to remove dead or dying Ash trees on private
property. Qualifying homeowners are those that were "disproportionately impacted" by the Covid-19
pandemic (<300% of the Federal Poverty Income Guideline by Household Size).
In conjunction with Community Development, Public Works will develop an application that will verify
homeowner eligibility for the program.
Public Works will utilize traditional public notification methods to promote the program including direct
mailings, social media, e-newsletter, and press releases.
DIRECTION NEEDED:
Discussion will focus on providing direction for the details of the program:
What ratio of City/Owner cost-share should staff move forward with for the program?
Is the City Council interested in extending the program coverage to qualifying residents who
have already had an Ash removed in 2022 and will be assessed in 2023 (19 properties at $76,220
as of 10/5/2022)?
Is the City Council interested in putting a cap on the maximum City contribution per property,
for instance, $2,000 per homeowner?
Does the City Council want to require homeowners to plant a replacement tree on their property
as part of the program?
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
A.HISTORICAL CONTEXT
ARPA "Assistance to Households" Impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic Income Limits
The Department of the Treasury ARPA Final Rule limits direct "assistance to households" to those with
an income that is <300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines by household size:
HH Size <300% of FPG
1 $38,640
2 $52,260
3 $65,880
4 $79,500
5 $93,120
6 $106,740
7 $120,360
8 $133,980
Cost-share Scenarios and Properties Assisted
Costs for private tree removal will ultimately vary widely depending upon the property characteristics,
health of the tree, and number of Ash trees requiring removal. For our purposes below, we assumed the
average property removal cost would be $3,793. This is the average cost per property based of the 2021
diseased tree special assessment roll.
City/Owner cost-share City $ per prop.# of prop. assisted
25%/75%$948 422
50%/50%$1,897 211
75%/25%$2,845 141
100%/0%$3,793 105
B.POLICIES (resolutions, ordinances, regulations, statutes, etc):
Administration of this program is consistent with the following City Council Strategic Priorities/Outcomes:
2c - Maintain Richfield as an affordable place to live;
3c - Climate resilience is a priority; and
5c - Embed equity in decision-making.
C.CRITICAL TIMING ISSUES:
City Council guidance at this work session will allow staff time to finalize development of the
program and begin to promote it over winter 2022/2023.
The costs must be incurred on or after March 3, 2021, obligated by December 31, 2024, and
expended by December 31, 2026.
D.FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The $400,000 cost of the program has been dedicated from existing ARPA funds and will not affect any
other City budgets.
E.LEGAL CONSIDERATION:
None
ALTERNATIVE(S):
None
PRINCIPAL PARTIES EXPECTED AT MEETING:
None
AGENDA SECTION:Work Session Items
AGENDA ITEM #2.
STAFF REPORT NO. 24
WORK SESSION
10/11/2022
REPORT PREPARED BY: Ben Manibog, Transportation Engineer
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR REVIEW: Kristin Asher, Public Works Director
10/5/2022
OTHER DEPARTMENT REVIEW:
CITY MANAGER REVIEW: Katie Rodriguez, City Manager
10/6/2022
ITEM FOR WORK SESSION:
Overview of local speed limits, staff's ongoing speed limit study, possible options the city can proceed
with, and a staff recommendation for discussion.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Public Works staff seek to use this work session to provide a general update to the City Council and
Transportation Commission on the status of local speed limits, possible options the city can proceed with, and
staff's proposed recommendation for discussion.
Staff recommend a default speed limit of 25 mph with exceptions for select 30 mph roads and one 35 mph
road. Alleys would remain at 10 mph. Making an official speed limit change will require a subsequent council
meeting with corresponding resolutions and ordinances.
DIRECTION NEEDED:
Staff is seeking direction from City Council and the Transportation Commission on the following
questions:
Should Public Works continue to evaluate local speed limits?
What additional information do Council members or Commission members need to make
decisions?
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
A.HISTORICAL CONTEXT
In 2019, the Minnesota Legislature gave cities increased authority to set local speed limits. This
legislation does not include county, state, airport, or private roads.
All Minnesota cities that set local speed limits must:
Do it in a "consistent and understandable manner"
Do it "based on the city's safety, engineering, and traffic analysis"
Provide "appropriate signage"
Consider "methods to effectively communicate the change to the public"
Since then, some cities in the metro have evaluated their speed limits and made changes. Richfield staff
was directed to evaluate our current traffic landscape and make a recommendation on whether our
speed limits should change.
From 1998 to 2001, the City of Richfield (as a part of our legislative priorities) supported legislation for a
25 mph urban speed zone.
I n 2018, the city's pedestrian plan included a measure to "Pursue legislative policy changes to allow for
reduced speed limits on residential streets".
Under current state statute, the default speed limit for any local road is 30 mph and for any alley is 10
mph.
Historically, speed limits have been set based on the 85th percentile speed, the speed where 15% of
people travel faster. I n the past ten years, there has been building evidence this method is outdated. A
study by the National Transportation Safety Board found that there was no evidence equating to lower
crash involvement when setting with the 85th percentile. The current recommended changes to the
Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTC D) state that the 85th percentile should apply only on
freeways, expressways, or rural highways. The MUTC D still awaits an update after public comments
were taken in 2020 and 2021.
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NA C TO) released guidance on setting local
speed limits in 2020. As a part of their guidance and recommendations, the maximum speed limit for
urban areas is 35 mph. This maximum limit is for roads with low activity A ND low conflict density.
B.P OL IC IE S (resolutions, ordinances, regulations, statutes, etc):
Changing speed limits requires an ordinance clarifying the city code as well as other housekeeping
resolutions.
C.C R IT IC AL T IMIN G IS S U E S:
None
D.F IN AN C IAL IMPAC T:
Speed limit changes are included in the 2023 C I B and 2024 C I P for an overall total cost of $200,000.
The costs include new signs, traffic signal re-timing and modifications, and a public education campaign.
E.L E GAL C ON S ID E R AT ION:
Changing speed limits requires an ordinance clarifying the city code as well as other housekeeping
resolutions.
ALTE R N AT IV E(S):
None
P R IN C IPAL PAR TIE S E X P E C TE D AT ME E TIN G:
None
AT TAC H ME N T S:
D escription Type
E xisting speed limits E xhibit
Road jurisdiction map E xhibit
Recommended speed limits 10/11/22 E xhibit
S taff presentation P resentation
66TH 66TH
LYNDALEPORTLANDPORTLANDPENN66TH 66TH
75TH NICOLLETNICOLLET63RD
77TH 77TH 77THPENN76TH CEDARRICHFIELDExisting speed limits 2022
Existing speed limit
25 mph
30 mph
35 mph
40 mph
Highway, private, or other community
0 0.5 10.25
Miles
66TH66TH
PORTLANDPENNXERXESNICOLLET66TH
19THLONGFELLOWPENNRoad ownership 2022
Agency
City road
County road
State road
Private road
Airport road
0 10.5
Miles
66TH
PENN66TH
PORTLAND12THXERXES64TH
DIAGONALRAE75TH NICOLLET66TH
63RD
77TH
76TH
73RD
70TH
67TH
65TH
69TH
70TH
65TH
63RD
64TH
UPTON18THLA
K
E
S
H
O
R
E RICHFIELDVINCENTHUMBOLDTBLOOMINGTONLOGANCEDARSHERIDANNEWTONLYNDALERecommended speed limits 10/11/22
25 mph
30 mph
35 mph
County, state, or private road 0 10.5
Miles
2. Speed limit study overview
Joint city council meeting Ben Manibog (he/him)
October 11, 2022 Transportation engineer
Purpose
•Inform on speed limit law and current
policy
•Create understanding for future options
•Gather feedback and staff direction
Staff recommendation
•Default speed limit of 25 mph
•Exception streets for 30 and 35 mph
•Alleys remain at 10 mph
Potential approaches
1.No changes
2.Default speed limits
3.Create “slow zones”
4.Set by corridor
*Methods can be
combined*
Source: City Limits by NACTO
Current speed limits
•Alley speed limit remains 10 mph
Default speed limit - all
•Where all local roads are the same speed
Default speed limit - categories
•Criteria for each default speed limit
–Ex. Major, minor, and exception streets
Slow zones
•Ex. Neighborhood, district, school zone
Bellevue, WA Alexandria, VA
By corridor
Rochester, MN
Shoreline, WA
Overall crashes
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021# of non-freeway crashes Richfield
Bloomington
Edina
St. Louis Park
Golden Valley
•Crashes have decreased
Source: MnCMAT2 2017 - 2021
Road system
•In Richfield, crashes occur increasingly on
county roads
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021% of overall non-freeway crashes County
City state aid
City other
Source: MnCMAT2 2017 - 2021
Pedestrian/Bicyclist
•In Richfield, pedestrian and bicyclist
crashes have decreased
7
11 11
8 7
15
5
8
4 6
0
5
10
15
20
25
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021# of crashes Bicyclist
Pedestrian
Source: MnCMAT2 2017 - 2021
Fatal crashes
•Richfield meets regional goals for fatal
crashes. However, fatal crashes still occur.
0.37
0.72
0.00
0.28
0.00
1.28
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
Crash rate per 100M VMT Fatal crash rate
Met Council TIP
MnDOT 5-yr avg
VMT = vehicle
miles traveled
Source: MnCMAT2 2017 – 2021, Metropolitan Council, MnDOT
Serious injury crashes by use
•Richfield has more serious injury crashes
than our peers
5.61
1.84 1.58 3.45 2.60
10.45
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Crash rate per 100M VMT Serious injury crash rate
Met Council TIP
MnDOT 5-yr average
VMT = vehicle
miles traveled
Source: MnCMAT2 2017 – 2021, Metropolitan Council, MnDOT
Traffic counts
Driver speeds
Local roads Median speed [mph]
Roads with < 1,000 veh/day 24.2 mph
Roads with > 1,000 veh/day 28.3 mph
Roads with > 2,000 veh/day* 29.2 mph
•Most people travel under 25 mph on quiet
roads AND under 30 mph on others
*Excludes 77th St
Source: Richfield local speed counts
Race equity
Source: City of Richfield, Metropolitan Council, Mapping Prejudice
Race equity (2)
•More data was available in Whiter
neighborhoods
•Counts were done by request through
public works or public safety
Proposed speed limits - 25
•Default 25 mph for any local road
–Ex. Elliot Ave at 74th St
Proposed speed limits - 30
At least:
•A half-mile segment
•More than 1,000 veh/day
•Median speed of 30 mph
Ex. 76th St at Bryant Ave
Proposed speed limits - 35
•Criteria for 30 mph AND arterial road
Ex. 77th St at Pillsbury Ave
Proposed speed limits
Proposed speed limits (2)
Proposed speed limits (3)
•People drive faster in our more diverse
neighborhoods
•New speed limits could be paired with
targeted traffic calming or projects
Flexibility for revisions
•Road construction
•Neighborhood- or corridor-level traffic
calming
•Demonstrated lower driver speeds