10-24-2023 WS City Council Agenda W O R K S E S S IO N
R IC H F IE L D MU N IC IPAL C E N TE R, B AR TH O LO ME W R O O M
O C TO B ER 24, 2023
5:45 P M
C all to order
1.S taff will present an update on the ongoing local speed limit study and recommendations for a proposed signing
and speed limit implementation plan and a public education campaign.
2.F indings of the Water S ystem Interconnect evaluation.
A djournment
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.
WORK S E S S ION STAFF RE P ORT NO. 36
WORK SESSION
10/24/2023
RE P O RT P RE PA RE D B Y: Matt Hardegger, Transportation E ngineer
D E PA RTME NT D IRE C TO R RE V IE W: K ristin A sher, P ublic Works D irector
10/17/2023
O THE R D E PA RTM E NT RE V IE W:
C ITY MA NA G E R RE V IE W: K atie Rodriguez, C ity Manager
10/18/2023
I T E M F O R WO RK S E S S IO N:
Staff will present an update on the ongoing local speed limit study and recommendations for a
proposed signing and speed limit implementation plan and a public education campaign.
E X E C UT IV E S UM M ARY:
Public W orks staff will provide a refresher and update to the City Council on the status of local speed limits
after the May 2023 work session, including staff's proposed recommendation for discussion. I n addition,
Scott Barsuhn will present an overview of a preliminary outreach campaign for the city-wide 25 mph speed
limits.
I n May, staff recommended a default speed limit of 25 mph City-wide with two exceptions; 30 mph on 76th
Street W est of Penn Ave and 35 mph the remainder of 76th/77th Street. Alleys would remain at 10 mph. Staff
were directed to collect additional data along 76th and 77th Streets to determine if a lower speed limit could be
posted. Data was collected in J uly and August of 2023, and based on the data collected, staff's
recommendation remains the same as in May 2023. Making an official speed limit change will require a
subsequent council meeting with corresponding resolutions and ordinances.
Staff are currently working with Hennepin County to request lowered speed limits on county
roadways in Richfield.
D IRE C T I O N NE E D E D:
Staff is seeking direction from City Council on the speed limit recommendation, signage
recommendation, implementation timeline, and public education campaign.
B AC K G RO UND INF O RM AT I O N:
A .H IS TOR IC AL C ON T E X T
In 2019, the Minnesota L egislature gave cities increased authority to set local speed limits. This legislation
does not include C ounty, S tate, airport, or private roads.
A ll Minnesota cities that set local speed limits must:
D o it in a "consistent and understandable manner"
D o it "based on the city's safety, engineering, and traffic analysis"
P rovide "appropriate signage"
C onsider "methods to effectively communicate the change to the public"
S ince 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.
F rom 1998 to 2001, the C ity of Richfield (as a part of our legislative priorities) supported legislation for a 25
mph urban speed zone. In 2018, the C ity's pedestrian plan included a measure to "P ursue legislative policy
changes to allow for reduced speed limits on residential streets". Under current S tate 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. In the past ten years, there has been building evidence this method is outdated. A study by the
National Transportation S afety B oard found that there was no evidence equating to lower crash involvement
when setting speed limits using the 85th percentile. The current recommended changes to the Manual of
Uniform Traffic C ontrol D evices (M UTC 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 A ssociation of C ity Transportation Officials released guidance on setting local speed limits in
2020. A s a part of their guidance and recommendations, most urban streets are recommended to have a
speed limit of 20 mph or 25 mph depending on several factors. The maximum recommended speed limit for
urban areas is 35 mph, for roads with low activity A ND low conflict density.
B .E QU ITAB L E OR S T R AT E GIC C ON S ID E R AT ION S OR IMPAC T S
N/A
C .P OL IC IE S (resolutions, ordinances, regulations, statutes, exc):
Ordinance changes will be forthcoming if there is consensus to change speed limits in the C ity.
D .C R IT IC AL T IMIN G IS S U E S:
S taff would like to have the final ordinance passed by the end of 2023 in order to begin procuring and
producing signage and public education materials for a spring 2024 implementation. The ordinance will require
two public readings.
E .F IN AN C IAL IMPAC T:
S peed limit changes are included in the 2023 C IB and 2024 C IP for an overall total cost of $200,000. The
costs include new signs, traffic signal re-timing and modifications, and a public education campaign.
F.L E GAL C ON S ID E R AT ION:
N/A
ALTE R N AT IV E(S):
P R IN C IPAL PAR TIE S E X P E C TE D AT ME E TIN G:
Scott Barsuhn, Barsuhn Consulting
AT TAC H ME N T S:
D escription Type
E xisting S peed L imits Map - October 2023 E xhibit
S taff Recommendation S peed L imits Map - October 2023 E xhibit
AGENDA SECTION:Work Session Items
AGENDA ITEM #2.
WORK S E S S ION STAFF RE P ORT NO. 37
WORK SESSION
10/24/2023
RE P O RT P RE PA RE D B Y: C had D onnelly, A ssistant Utility S uperintendent
D E PA RTME NT D IRE C TO R RE V IE W: K risten A sher, P ublic Works D irector
10/17/2023
O THE R D E PA RTM E NT RE V IE W:
C ITY MA NA G E R RE V IE W: K atie Rodriguez, C ity Manager
10/18/2023
I T E M F O R WO RK S E S S IO N:
Findings of the W ater System Interconnect evaluation.
E X E C UT IV E S UM M ARY:
Public W orks staff commissioned a study to evaluate three alternatives for a water system interconnect with
an adjacent municipality. Staff will present the findings of the study, discuss potential costs of implementation,
and offer suggestions for next steps.
D IRE C T I O N NE E D E D:
No direction needed at this time.
B AC K G RO UND INF O RM AT I O N:
A .H IS TOR IC AL C ON T E X T
P ublic Works has been exploring the idea of a water system interconnect for the past several years. A water
system interconnect would consist of a physical connection into an adjacent municipality's water system to
supplement or replace Richfield's water supply on a temporary basis if ever needed. T he primary purpose
is to have a viable water source in the event of an emergency and to maintain a level of
resiliency for Richfield concerning the distribution of clean drinking water.
B .E QU ITAB L E OR S T R AT E GIC C ON S ID E R AT ION S OR IMPAC T S
A water system interconnect makes progress on the S trategic P lan priority of S ustainable Infrastructure.
C .P OL IC IE S (resolutions, ordinances, regulations, statutes, exc):
None
D .C R IT IC AL T IMIN G IS S U E S:
C onstruction of the water system interconnect is included in the 2026 & 2027 C IP and staff is looking to keep
the possible project on that timeline.
E .F IN AN C IAL IMPAC T:
C onstruction of the water system interconnect is included in the 2026 & 2027 C IP at $4,000,000.
F.L E GAL C ON S ID E R AT ION:
None
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
P otential Interconnect L ocations E xhibit