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PUBLIC SAFETY AGENDA, FEBRUARY 4, 2021 2021 02 AGENDA PACKET.PDF 1. 5:00 P.M. Documents: AGENDA FOR A REGULAR MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HUDSON COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF CITY HALL, 505 THIRD STREET 5:00 p.m. February 4, 2021 Page 1 of 1 Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86435599314?pwd=YXVTejg3Zkk4RHJ5Qkk0bmUralhlUT09 1. Roll Call. 2. Minutes of The Regular Meeting, January 7, 2021. 3. Discussion and Possible Action on Proposal for Additional Police Officers. 4. Discussion and Possible Action on Street Sign Requests and Installation Policy. 5. Discussion and Possible Action on Traffic Safety on Eleventh Street between Vine Street and Saint Croix Street. 6. Informational Items. 7. EMS/Fire Department/Police Department Updates. 8. Other Items for Future Agendas. 9. Adjournment. CC: Mayor O’Connor; Aaron Reeves Alderperson Alms; Alderson Hall; Alderperson Morrissette Chief Willems: Chief St. Martin; Public Works; City Clerk; Jon Muller Chamber of Commerce; Cable TV; Star Observer; Hudson Patch; Lobbies Posted in City Hall lobbies and the Public Safety Building, delivered to Star Observer and Committee members: 02/02/21 Notice is hereby given that a majority of the City Council may be present at the meeting of the Public Safety Committee to gather information about a subject over which they have decision-making responsibility. This constitutes a meeting of the City Council pursuant to State ex rel. Badke v. Greendale Village Bd., 173 Wis.2d 553, 494 N. W. 2d 408 (1993), and must be noticed as such, although the Council will not take any formal action at this meeting. CITY OF HUDSON PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE January 7, 2021 Page 1 of 2 PRESENT: Alderpersons Hall and Morrissette. ABSENT: Alderperson Alms ALSO PRESENT: Chief Geoff Willems, Chief Scott St. Martin, Dean Chamberlain, Bridget Murphy, Ruth Peterson, Evy Nerbonne, Jim Perucca, and Melanie Herberg. A copy of the agenda was posted in City Hall lobbies, delivered to the Hudson Star- Observer, and mailed to committee members on January 5, 2021. Alderperson Morrissette called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. via Zoom. MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 12, 2020 REGULAR MEETING: MOTION by Hall, Second by Morrissette to approve the minutes of the November 12, 2020 regular meeting. MOTION CARRIED. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING HUDSON HOT AIR AFFAIR, FEBRUARY 5-7, 2021: Peterson stated that the Moon Glow and Field of Fire will be drive through events. She pointed out the provided map and stated that they will have directional signage and officers posted for traffic control. Nerbonne stated the Fat Tire bike event is a different organizer and was certain they had their own insurance. Neither EMS nor the Fire Department had any concerns with the event. Hot Air Affair Committee will continue to work with Willems. MOTION by Hall, SECOND by Morrissette to designate the Hudson Hot Air Affair as a Community Event. MOTION CARRIED. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON LIGHTING AND CROSSWALK SAFETY ON VINE STREET AT DIAMOND DRIVE: Hall stated that she had a close encounter with a pedestrian in the crosswalk. She stated the lighting wasn’t sufficient and that the blinking crosswalk lights were not on. Chamberlain stated that the light is on the southwest corner and the crosswalk is on the northeast and southeast corners. He stated that it could be lit better and estimated the cost to move the light would be ~$10-$15K. He further stated that the light belonged to Xcel Energy. Morrissette asked him to reach out to them partner on moving the light. The other issue is that a pedestrian has to activate the blinking lights by pressing the buttons, both of which are easily accessible. He stated that this intersection isn’t in the CIP. At some point, it will need to be reconstructed for ADA compliance. He stated that would be the best time to make improvements. MOTION by Hall, SECOND by Morrissette to forward the issue to Public Works. MOTION CARRIED. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: None. EMS/FIRE DEPARMENT/POLICE DEPARTMENT UPDATES: CITY OF HUDSON PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE January 7, 2021 Page 2 of 2 Bridget Murphy stated that the call volume was higher than projected. EMS staff received COVID vaccines last week. They are seeing a decline of COVID cases in hospitals and EMS runs. Fire Chief Scott St. Martin stated they have been busy. They had a couple people out with COVID. There were two sprinkler saves in commercial buildings recently, indicating that the sprinklers activated as they should. They expect to on-board four or five new firefighters in the next couple of months. Police Chief Geoff Willems stated they and their law enforcement partners are prepared for extra presence with Minnesota opening bars and restaurants but closing at 10:30 p.m. Police are in group 1B for COVID vaccines which should be available soon. The department has had a case of COVID about every four weeks, but recently five were out with it. One officer is on light duty with an injury. Morrissette asked Willems to present a plan at an upcoming Public Safety meeting to increase the police force. OTHER ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDAS: East Canyon Drive when Alms is present. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION by Hall, SECOND by Morrissette to adjourn. MOTION CARRIED. Meeting adjourned at 5:44 p.m. Minutes by Melanie Herberg. SUBMITTED TO: Public Safety Committee DATE: January 27, 2021 SUBMITTED BY: Chief Geoff Willems REGARDING: Proposal for additional officers BACKGROUND: Over the past year, with all the events of 2020, I have received several requests regarding how many more officers the Hudson Police Department needs to adequately respond and provide the required services to the City. I have attached information regarding these discussions to this issue sheet. I have also attached a Market Analysis study from 2019 for the City of Hudson. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION Additional Police Officers for 2021 I have been asked several times in the past few weeks how many officers the City would need to get the Police Department where it needs to be. That is a question that is not easily answered in a statement or in a sentence. The FBI and the WI tax payers alliance recommend 1 officer for every 500 in population for a small City. But those numbers are recommendations that do not take into account the actual service population for a given City. The City of Hudson is very different than the City of Menomonie, River Falls, or New Richmond. The City of Hudson draws people from a large radius due to the big box stores, bars, and restaurants that are not available in these other communities. Currently, the estimated population of the City is between 14,000 and 15,000 residents. Our current sworn staff is at 28, which would be right on par for 14,000. However, just north of the City is the Village of North Hudson that has an additional 4,000 people. According to the latest traffic analysis for the DOT, over 87,000 vehicles travel on I-94 through Hudson on a daily basis. 20,000 of those vehicles exit and travel on Carmichael Road. 34,000 vehicles travel south of I-94 on Carmichael Road per day. 16,700 cars travel on Crest View Drive and another 15,000 vehicles travel through downtown Hudson on a daily basis. In addition to that, the Market Analysis study performed for the City indicates the market area population for Hudson to be at 64,171 people in 2019. Within this study, they used cell phone data to determine the home location to visitors in the City of Hudson. The heat maps show vast populations from Somerset, New Richmond, Roberts, Hammond, River Falls, Lakeland, MN, Woodbury, MN and St. Paul, MN do an extraordinary amount of business within the City. What the study says, to me, is that the City really serves a population of over 64,000 people. Currently, the police department has 2-5 officers working at any point during the day as far as regular staffing available to handle calls for service. In 2020, the department handled over 14,000 calls for service. That averages out to be 38 calls for service per day. Keep in mind, this was in 2020 when COVID shutdowns lasted almost three months and our calls for service volume during that time really went down. The City of Hudson has also become a hotbed so to speak for activity as far as rallies, marches, political events as well as regional social events. Whether this is because its an attractive area, or because it is only 15 miles down the Interstate from the City of St. Paul, or whether it is simply because it is centered between the likes of other St. Croix County Communities, Hudson is a popular destination for scores of people, for a variety of reasons. One of the largest requests from our department to do better in is community relationships and engagement. With our current staffing, it is nearly impossible to dedicate the appropriate time to community engagement. Additional officers would help us be able to fill our shifts with patrol officers as well as allow for some extra time to be able to commit to the public through adding to our community outreach programs such as national night out and the citizens police academy, shop with a cop, internship programs etc, and be able to add to it with neighborhood meetings and additional relationship building practices. Several times during 2020, with the civil unrest right across the river, to the droves of Minnesotans flooding to Hudson for our dining and entertainment, our department was overwhelmed to the point we needed to call in extra resources from several other communities. The police department is not adequately staffed to handle these large-scale events alone. While it is a nice benefit to rely on our regional law enforcement partners, it is not realistic to think those resources will always be available. 2020 was an extraordinary year, but some of the things we experienced in 2020 I do not think will be an anomaly. Hudson is on the map and is in high demand for people to move here. They will bring their expectations with them. In order to keep up with the demands and the growing community, the City would need to add 2-4 officers in 2021 and very likely add 1-2 additional officers as the community and the City continues to develop and grow. SUBMITTED TO: Public Safety Committee DATE: January 28, 2020 SUBMITTED BY: Chief Geoff Willems REGARDING: Sign requests BACKGROUND: The public works committee has directed staff to develop a process for when citizens request signs other than stop or yield signs ( like speed limit signs, deer crossings, crosswalk signs, etc.) Attached to this issue sheet is a draft policy that City Engineer Dean Chamberlin developed for such requests. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: 505 Third Street Hudson, Wisconsin 54016-1694 FAX: (715)386-3385 www.hudsonwi.gov STREET SIGN REQUEST & INSTALLATION POLICY I. PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for requesting and installing signs on streets over which the City of Hudson has jurisdiction. Requesting and installing STOP or YIELD signs shall follow the adopted City of Hudson Stop and Yield Sign Policy. This policy does not apply to signs deemed necessary for installation by the City Engineer or Public Works Director as a part of a related project or as a standalone project. II. BACKGROUND The Wisconsin Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (WMUTCD) provides standards, guidance, and options for installation of signs on any roadway within the State of Wisconsin. The WMUTCD lays out certain standards which must be followed on all roadways within the State of Wisconsin. These standards are not subject to interpretation or modification by local jurisdictions. The WMUTCD also lays out guidance and options for consideration when considering installation of signs on public roadways. Guidance in the WMUTCD refers to recommended, but not mandatory, practices that are meant for typical situations. Deviations to the guidance sections in the WMUTCD are allowed if engineering judgment or an engineering study indicates the deviation to be appropriate. The policy established in this document is intended to comply to the greatest extent possible with the requirements of the WMUTCD. III. POLICY A. General The City of Hudson will consider installation of traffic signs to safely and effectively manage the flow of vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic through the city’s street network. The City of Hudson, without exception, will follow all standards described in the current edition of the WMUTCD regarding the installation of any traffic control device. For all requests of signs on City roadways, the City Engineer or his/her designee will conduct an engineering study to determine whether the proposed sign installation is appropriate or if another traffic control solution would be more effective to address the issues contributing to the request. The engineering study may consider the following depending on the sign being installed: • Vehicular, bicycle, pedestrian, and other traffic volumes on all intersection approaches • Number and angle of all approaches • Approach speeds • Sight distance available on each approach • Reported crash experience • Description of applicable WMUTCD standards and guidance and determination of whether the proposed sign installation meets the standards and guidance • Explanation of engineering judgment used to modify or overrule WMUTCD guidance • Consideration of alternative measures to address underlying issues contributing to the proposed installation of the sign Each study will consider the unique characteristics of the street segment or intersection where the sign is proposed. Less restrictive traffic control will typically be considered and prioritized first before more restrictive traffic control. B. Restrictions Related to Specific Signs The following signs will not be installed in the City of Hudson unless otherwise approved by the City Engineer and Public Works Director due to proven ineffectiveness in research studies or inapplicability to public streets: • W11-3 Deer Crossing • Deaf or Blind Child Signs • “SLOW” signs • “NO THRU TRAFFIC” signs IV. PROCEDURE The following procedure will be taken with all requests for the installation of signs. 1) All sign requests shall be sent to the City Engineer or Public Works Director in writing or by direction of the Public Safety Committee, Public Works Committee, or City Council to initiate the procedure. 2) The City Engineer will conduct an engineering study for the location proposed for the installation of the signs. 3) A staff group comprising the City Engineer, Public Works Director, and other staff as needed will review the results of the Engineering Study. The staff committee will rate the request as one of the following: a. “Not Recommended” – This designation will be applied only if the request violates the conditions of this policy or the standards within the WMUTCD. b. “Further Discussion or Analysis Warranted” – This designation will be applied if the sign request meets the conditions of this policy and the standards within the WMUTCD but staff believes that further study or an analysis of alternative measures is needed. c. “Recommended” – This designation will be applied if the sign request meets the conditions of this policy and the standards within the WMUTCD and that the requested sign is, in staff’s view, the best course of action to solve the particular issue leading to the request. 4) If the request is rated as “Not Recommended”, staff will inform the requestor of the determination and the reasons for such as designation. The sign request will not be forwarded for future discussion at a committee meeting. The requestor may appeal the designation to the Public Works Committee. If the request is rated as “Further Discussion or Analysis Warranted” or “Recommended”, the City Engineer or Public Works Director will discuss the sign request at the next applicable committee meeting(s) as appropriate. For any sign request related to existing or potential future public safety concerns, the request must be discussed at the Public Safety Committee. For any sign request paid for by Public Works general operating or capital funds, the request must be discussed at the Public Works Committee. For requests applicable to both committees, the request will be first discussed at whichever committee meets first and then at the committee meeting second. 5) For sign requests requiring discussion by the Public Safety Committee, the Public Safety Committee will, upon consultation with staff and consideration of the results of the engineering study, determine whether the proposed sign will address the underlying safety concerns leading to the request or if additional analysis is needed to make a determination. For sign requests requiring discussion by the Public Works Committee, the Public Works Committee will, upon consultation with staff and consideration of the results of the engineering study, determine whether the proposed sign installation is recommended given available budgets, specific site constraints, and other factors or if additional analysis is needed to make a determination. If additional information is needed by committee decision, the City Engineer and Public Works Director will collect and analyze any needed additional information and bring the matter back to the appropriate committee(s) for additional discussion. If the sign request is approved by the appropriate committee(s), it will be forwarded to the Common Council for consideration and approval. 6) If a recommendation is forwarded to the Common Council for installation of the proposed sign, the City Council will consider the recommendation and approve, modify, or deny the recommendation or take an alternative action as deemed appropriate. No publicly-requested signs will be installed except as approved by the City Council and following the procedure in this policy. This policy will be reviewed when the WMUTCD is updated to ensure the policy does not conflict with the WMUTCD. The policy may be reviewed sooner upon direction by City Council or upon recommendation by City staff. Policy developed by: Dean Chamberlain, PE City Engineer dchamberlain@hudsonwi.gov 715-716-5729 Policy Reviewed By Public Works Committee on _____________ Policy Reviewed By Public Safety Committee on _____________ Policy Approved By City Council on _____________ SUBMITTED TO: Public Safety Committee DATE: January 28, 2020 SUBMITTED BY: Chief Geoff Willems REGARDING: 11th Street traffic safety BACKGROUND: Council woman Hall emailed myself as well as Dean Chamberlin regarding an email she received from Andrew Ellingbow, a resident on 11th St between Vine Street and St. Croix Street. It seems from the email, the biggest issue is with regard to high school students speeding excessively in this area. Upon speaking with Dean Chamberlin, the City Engineer, he advised that before the Holidays, the Public Works Committee discussed the speed hump policy and they had referred it back to public safety with the direction to come up with a more all-encompassing policy for speed and safety issues. This issue seems like a good time to have more discussion about speed humps and signs, etc. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: 505 Third Street Hudson, Wisconsin 54016-1694 FAX: (715)386-3385 www.ci.hudson.wi.us The City of Hudson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Service Provider SPEED HUMP POLICY Introduction Speed humps have been increasingly recognized by engineers as a suitable geometric design technique for controlling traffic speeds under appropriate roadway circumstances. This policy recognizes the need to develop a standard set of guidelines and criteria to follow when a speed hump is applicable in the City of Hudson. Description Speed humps are a vertical traffic calming device intended to slow traffic speeds on streets intended for low traffic speeds. Constructed of asphalt pavement, recycled rubber, or plastic, speeds humps have a ramp length of 3-6 feet and height of 3 inches. Placed perpendicular to the traffic flow of the street, speed humps reduce speeds to 12-20 mph. Non-Eligible Streets Certain streets are not eligible for installation of speed humps due to certain characteristics of the street. Urban roads are designed to promote faster-moving traffic connecting two places of interest and thus are not suitable locations for speed humps. Examples of these roads include: • Carmichael Road from Vine Street to the south city limits • Hanley Road from Carmichael Road to Highway 35 Streets that are fully or partially under the jurisdiction of other agencies (e.g., the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), St. Croix County, Town of Hudson) would require the approval of the agency or agencies with jurisdiction over that street. Examples of streets that are included in this description include: • 2 nd Street/State Highway 35 (WisDOT) • Tower Road (Town of Troy) • Old State Highway 35 (Town of Hudson) Additionally, other factors of streets within the city’s jurisdiction cause certain streets to not be good locations for speed humps. These factors are discussed in the following sections of this policy document. Recommended Restrictions on Placement of Speed Humps Number of Lanes Speed humps should be used only on streets with no more than two travel lanes. The City of Hudson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Service Provider Pavement Characteristics Overall pavement on streets considered for speed humps should have good surface (PASER Rating 6-10) and drainage qualities. Where major resurfacing/reconstruction of a street is planned for the near future, speed hump installation should be deferred and incorporated in the resurfacing process unless otherwise approved by the City Engineer, Public Works Director, and Public Works Commission. Street Grades Speed humps should not be employed on streets with grades exceeding 5 percent approaching the speed hump site as to ensure that vehicles will not approach a speed hump at excessive speeds. Placement Near Curves (Vertical & Horizontal) Speed humps should not be placed within severe horizontal or vertical curves that might result in substantial lateral or vertical forces on a vehicle traversing the speed hump. Speed humps should be avoided within horizontal curves of less than 300 feet centerline radius and on a vertical curve (hill) with less than the minimum safe stopping sight distance. Safe stopping sight distance for a vehicle traveling 30 mph is 200 ft. Traffic Speeds Speed humps should generally be installed only on streets where the posted speed limit is 25 mph or less. Where speed problems occur on streets with higher speed limits (such as streets posted for 35 mph experiencing 45-50 mph traffic), employment of focused enforcement and combinations of other types of control measures should be considered instead of speed humps. When speed humps are installed to address speeding concerns, studies should be performed to confirm the magnitude of the speeding problem to ensure that the installation of speed humps can be expected to appreciably address that problem. As justification for speed humps on streets, Hudson’s speed criteria are as follows: Eighty-fifth percentile speed exceeds posted speed limit (normally 25 mph). Traffic Volumes Speed humps should be installed only on streets with an average daily traffic volume of 6,000 vehicles or less. Emergency Vehicle Access Speed humps should not be installed on streets that are defined or used as primary emergency vehicle access routes. Both the City of Hudson Fire Department and EMS services shall be contacted and approved by said organizations. Examples of these streets include: • Vine Street • Coulee Road • Crest View Drive / Stageline Road Citizen Support Where speed humps are considered at citizen request, a petition signed by 75% of the properties in the primary impact zone of the speed humps shall be considered sufficient indication of community support for the city to act on the request (impact zone to be defined by the City Engineer and Public Works Director on a case by case basis). The City of Hudson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Service Provider Other Locations to Avoid In addition to the restrictions and guidance presented elsewhere in this document, there are other locations where construction of speed humps should be avoided. These locations include: • Locations within intersections • Locations at driveways • Locations over utility manholes, gate valves, pull boxes, and access vaults • Locations at fire hydrants • Locations immediately up-grade from drainage inlets • Locations at or adjacent to surface cross drains Design and Construction Considerations Traffic Control Speed humps shall be accompanied by a sign (MUTCD W17-1) warning drivers of the upcoming traffic control device. Furthermore, the speed humps shall be marked with 12-inch reflective white stripes set parallel to the centerline tangent on 6-foot centers with the center-most stripes offset by 3 feet on centers from the centerline. The word message BUMP in eight (8) foot white reflective letters shall be placed fifty (50) feet in advance on each approach to each hump. Spacing and Location Location and spacing of speed humps will be determined on a case by case basis by the City Engineer and Public Works Director. In all, speed humps intended to operate in series would be located no closer than 200 feet apart and no farther than 500 feet apart. On short blocks (less than 500 feet in length), 1-2 humps per block would be typical. Minimum Distances Speed humps should be located a certain minimum distance from traffic control features as shown in the table below: A. Traffic Signal 300 ft. B. Stop Sign 150 ft. C. Other Traffic Calming Devices 135 ft. D. Intersections 100 ft. E. Driveways 30 ft. F. Curves/Hills and Visual Impairments 200 ft. G. Mid-block Crosswalks 100 ft. The City Engineer and Public Works Director reserve the right to apply other minimum distances other than those in the preceding table if deemed reasonable to promote safety for vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian traffic. Design Speed humps should be designed to the following criteria; • Slopes should not exceed 1:10 or be less steep than 1:25 • Side slopes on tapers should be no greater than 1:6 • The vertical lip should be no more than a quarter-inch high The City of Hudson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Service Provider Drainage Speed humps shall not be constructed in locations where street drainage is significantly impeded. Speed humps should not be constructed in locations that will block curb flow lines unless adequate catch basins are located immediately upstream of the proposed speed hump location. Alternative Options In locations where speed humps are not recommended, judicious use of other guide, warning, or regulatory traffic control devices and/or other physical changes to the street characteristics may instead be used to slow traffic speeds. Alternative measures include, but are not limited to: • Portable speed trailer(s) • Radar detector signage • Increased speed enforcement • Restriping of lane lines to reduce lane widths • Addition or removal of on-street parking • Construction of temporary or permanent bumpouts/curb extensions • Construction of temporary or permanent medians, chicanes, or other diversions • Additional and/or more conspicuous speed limit signage However, some of these alternatives have been vetted with no significant results altering recorded speeds. Responsibility for Cost for Construction of Speed Humps Petitioners for speed humps shall be aware that all expenses related to the installation of the speed humps will be shared by people within the impact zone unless the speed hump is constructed in conjunction with a city maintenance or reconstruction project or is paid for by funding by a grant or other funding program. Process for Requesting Speed Humps Petitioners must send a request for a speed hump to the City Engineer and/or Public Works Director to initiate the review process for the speed hump(s). Petitioners must identify the location(s) of any speed hump(s) requested using a description of the street areas/blocks/segments and/or a map for review. Requests may be received via email, mail, or in-person at the Community Development/Public Works Departments offices at City Hall. When a petition is received, the City Engineer will initiate a speed study and analysis of the requested location of the speed hump(s). The City Engineer will then respond in writing to the petitioner(s) with initial findings of the review of the request, whether recommended approval as requested, recommended denial, or with proposed changes to the request. If the petitioner(s) wish to proceed with the request, the City Engineer and Public Works Director will determine the impact zone area and survey the residents, business owners, and/or property owners within the impact zone area. If the citizen support threshold is met, the speed hump request will be placed on the agenda for the next Public Works Committee meeting. If the request is approved by the Public Works Committee, City staff will notify the impact zone residents, make arrangements to collect the cost of the approved speed hump(s), and schedule construction of the speed hump(s) for a time as deemed appropriate by the Public Works Director. The City of Hudson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Service Provider Evaluation of Constructed Speed Humps The City reserves the right to evaluate the effectiveness of any constructed speed humps and remove any installed speed humps if they pose a hazard to the traveling public or maintenance operations. The City will pay any associated costs with removal of any installed speed humps. Incorporation into Other Plans and Policies This policy is intended to stand alone unless otherwise superseded or incorporated by another plan or policy. Policy Developed By: Michael Mroz Public Works Director mmroz@hudsonwi.gov 715-716-5746 Dean Chamberlain, PE City Engineer dchamberlain@hudsonwi.gov 715-716-5729 Policy Approved By City Council on _____________________________