Some Elyria City Councilmembers upset over placement of new solar-powered LED stop signs

ELYRIA, Ohio (WOIO) - You can’t miss them: shiny new solar-powered LED stops signs in Elyria.

Some say that’s the point, and they want drivers to slow down and pay attention.

However, the brand new signs were only placed in Ward 1 neighborhoods.

Which isn’t sitting well with the rest of city council.

Monday evening a the city council meeting, Assistant Safety Director Tim Williams was grilled about how this could have happened.

“That one ward, one ward got 20-25 signs and I have been waiting. I asked for three signs and I have not gotten them yet. How is that fair?” asked Donna Mitchell, Ward 6 Councilmember. “What about the rest of us? Our residents count too, they pay taxes,” she said.

“Those signs were a direct result of a council person coming in and having extensive conversations with the mayor and the police department and out of that there was budgeted, the street budget, money for signs,” said Williams.

Research shows the solar-powered stop signs slow down speeders and reduce crashes, which is why Ward 1 Councilman Andrew Lipian said he requested them back in November.

“This was all done in the light of day, in council chambers,” said Lipian.

In a statement to 19 News, Matt Lundy, Elyria Safety Directors says:

“The Mayor has always had an open-door policy and has encouraged council members to meet with him especially during the budget window. Councilman Lipian did so and even presented his ideas to council late last year.

These are not new sign locations. These LEDs are upgrades replacing some old ones. These were in the budget unanimously approved by council.”

19 News reached out to city council members about the stop signs but so far, no one responded to requests.

The safety director tells 19 News there’s still an opportunity to get LED Stop signs, councilmembers just need to request them and go through the process to get them for their wards.

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