Rehoboth City Commissioners approve seeking ways to address five areas the newly formed City Streets and Safety Advisory Committee recommends taking action.
The newly formed committee held its first meeting last month as it addresses public concerns around traffic and safety issues.
The committee wants to revise some current city rules around speeding, introduce a fee schedule that ramps up penalties for multiple violations, and consolidate seasonal rules into a simple “on-season” and “off-season” set-up.
These programs were supported by commission members, but some raised concerns about feasibility.
Commission Vice President Patrick Gossett.
“Here’s five new programs that we want to act on, and we’re very excited about it, but we look at challenges we have now with some sense of staffing and skillsets within staffing, and also budget. So, again, I think that needs to be an element in the equation when we look at these projects and how to accomplish them.” he said.
Many commissioners, including Susan Stewart, say it's time to act on these issues
“I really do want to get us from talking about everything forever and move things forward. And there’s a ton of things the city needs; these are a great start." she said.
One of the most emphasized points of focus was traffic calming: Ways that the city can reduce things like speeding and reckless driving within city limits,
This includes things like stricter speed limits, levying higher fines on those breaking the limit, and higher police presence for enforcing traffic law.
One proposal during public comment was a $200 fee for breaking the speed limit in town. Currently, Rehoboth levies a $20 fee for first speeding violation and a $25 fee for each subsequent violation, adding $1-$3 for each mile-per-hour over the limit the driver was traveling.
The committee will now gather further details on each of its proposed topics of focus and return to the city commission for potential action.
The next Advisory Committee meeting is planned for December 11th.
