Mayor & Commission Meetings

LEGISLATIVE REVIEW COMMITTEE Thursday, September 7, 2023 City Hall Conference Room 301B Committee Members Present: Committee Members Absent: Commissioner Carol Myers, Chair Commissioner John Culpepper Commissioner Jesse Houle Commissioner Ovita Thornton1 Commissioner Allison Wright Staff: Niki Jones, Assistant Manager Sherrie Hines, Deputy Chief Attorney Stephen Bailey, Transportation & Public Works Shirelle Hallum, Transportation & Public Works Sarah George, Manager’s Office Commissioner Myers called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m. A. Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Wright made a motion to approve the August 2, 2023 minutes with the amendments noted by Commissioner Houle. Commissioner Culpepper seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. B. Public Input: There was none. Commission Identified Items of Interest: C. Review and update Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP) Assistant Manager Jones summarized past discussion on this topic, including discussion regarding a data-driven process compared to the request-based process. Stephen Bailey explained that staff was interested to hear from the Committee to learn about their priorities and desired outcomes for the next iteration of the policy. Shirelle Hallum reviewed the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP) purpose in the existing policy, which was adopted in March 2023. One point for the Committee to consider is whether the program purpose statement is still in alignment with what the program is doing and if it still captures the purpose. Stephen Bailey asked the Committee for their thoughts on why the NTMP program exists as well as their thoughts on the reasons the program is a priority. Commissioner Wright shared that, from her experience, it is a main item of concern that she hears from constituents that is not on our agenda. She also shared that it addresses the potential conflict of or feeling that it is unsafe for non-vehicle traffic due to the vehicle traffic. Commissioner Myers noted that it was helpful to review the existing purpose statement, as she had not realized that the statement not only mentioned improving pedestrian safety but also included creating more pleasant neighborhoods, and she encouraged the Committee to consider if they are all still in agreement with this. 1 Arrived at 1:13 p.m. Left at 2:02 p.m.  Commissioner Houle shared that they would prefer to have the purpose be to improve pedestrian safety and reduce crashes in neighborhoods. They noted that traffic speed, in their mind, is the means to the end of improving safety and reducing crashes; by reducing traffic speed, people will be less likely to crash, but, when crashes occur, they will be more likely to be less severe. Shirelle Hallum shared an overview of classification of definitions of roadway. She noted that the existing policy references “neighborhood residential” streets; however, the problem is that there is no official definition for it. She explained that they have GDOT road classifications that define arterials, collectors, and local streets. Jennings Mill is one example noted as being a local street. Commissioner Thornton requested clarification on whether the goal was to redefine or create one definition. Stephen Bailey explained that it is not a goal for the Committee in this meeting; however, long-term we would be looking for some context definitions of our roadways. The context can be based on the existing land use for the roadway and how it is being used, as well as the planned use. He also shared that when we say “neighborhood residential”, they are having to infer a lot, since they do not have that classification to lean on. He explained that, for now, they would like to start from any local road that borders a parcel that is zoned residential (RS or RN). Commissioner Culpepper expressed interest in modifying the name from “Neighborhood Traffic Management Program” to “Residential Traffic Management Program”. The Committee agreed. Commissioner Thornton inquired about whether or not there was a toolbox with definitions of all the traffic calming instruments that could be used. Shirelle Hallum shared that Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration has developed a Traffic Calming e-Primer that has a toolbox of individual traffic calming measures. Commissioner Thornton expressed interest in receiving a copy of it. Staff advised that they will share it with the Committee following the meeting. Shirelle Hallum and Stephen Bailey explained that one important consideration is whether or not to include residential access roads. Shirelle Hallum shared that six of the top seven roads shared in the last meeting’s discussion were considered residential access roads. Commissioner Culpepper expressed concern that, if residential access roads are included, it could potentially use up all of the funding and leave little for residential roads. Commissioner Wright expressed interest in asking staff to update the policy to include the GDOT categories and definitions. Commissioner Myers requested clarification from staff on any roads that were discussed in the meeting that would not be classified as local roadways under GDOT’s categories. Shirelle Hallum confirmed that they would all be considered local roadways, but the Committee would also need to consider if they would include the staff-recommended language to further define it as local roads that are adjacent to single-family residential or mixed-density residential parcels. Commissioner Myers asked the Committee if they were interested in including residential access roads. The Committee agreed. Commissioner Wright made a motion to request staff update the 1999 NTMP policy to modify the name to “Residential Traffic Management Program” and include the staff-recommended language that, for this program, a residential road is locally maintained and a GDOT-classified local road that is adjacent to Single-family Residential (RS) or Mixed Density Residential (RM) parcels. Commissioner Culpepper seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Stephen Bailey shared that the next major consideration for the Committee is whether or not they agree with the prioritization criteria that was discussed in the last meeting. Commissioner Myers shared that she is amenable to the prioritization criteria, but she inquired as to why the crash history would not be weighted higher. Shirelle Hallum advised that there are not many crashes Legislative Review Committee Meeting Minutes Page 2 090723  on these roads. Stephen Bailey shared that the rationale behind crashes having a smaller weight is that, in a residential setting, there are less crashes than would typically occur in an arterial or collector setting; it seemed to be the bigger indicator of traffic calming needs would be the speeds and the volume. Shirelle Hallum advised that the roads that come to the top of the list typically come to the top regardless of the weight, as they tend to have higher numbers for all of the criteria. Commissioner Thornton explained that she understands what staff shared, but she noted she would likely have to also explain the rationale to her constituents. Shirelle Hallum further explained how the weights were shifted and converted as new criteria was added. Commissioner Wright agreed that it would be helpful to have a summary of staff’s rationale for the weighted prioritization criteria. She also expressed interested in modifying the weights to a percentage for easier math conversion. Commissioner Houle that they agree with Commissioner Myers, and they believe crash history is relevant given the emphasis on reducing crashes in the purpose of the program, as well as the fact that, over time, different neighborhoods will likely become denser and the way traffic functions within them may evolve. They expressed interest in having crash history more heavily weighted. Commissioner Houle also inquired as to whether or not the density of the residential area should also be a factor. Assistant Manager Jones suggested staff come back with a rationale regarding density being included as a criteria at a future meeting. Stephen Bailey shared that staff will research what other municipalities have used as their weights, and then they will show the Committee a couple of other iterations of the weighted criteria. The Committee discussed the pros and cons provided by staff for a data-driven program compared to a request-based. Commissioner Myers asked the Committee if they were supportive of a data-driven program. Commissioner Culpepper inquired about whether or not there was overlap between the streets that are prioritized by the data-driven approach compared to the request-based. Shirelle Hallum advised that there was some overlap. Stephen Bailey explained that there could potentially be two programs: the government-funded, data-driven program and a request-driven, neighborhood-funded program. Commissioner Houle made a motion to advance a data-driven, opt-out policy and to include a separate request-based, neighborhood-funded component. Commissioner Wright seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. D. Schedule/Agenda Changes The next LRC meeting is scheduled for October 5, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. Commissioner Wright made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Houle seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 2:25 p.m. Legislative Review Committee Meeting Minutes Page 3 090723