HB 975

Present law authorizes t he legislative body of any county, except the legislative bodies of any counties having a commission form of government, to prescri be such lower speed limits as it may deem appropriate on any road being maintained by the county and shall erect appropriate signs and traffic signals. In those counties having a commission form of government, the board of commissioners has such authority . This bill rewrites the provisions above to, instead, provide the following:  The legislative body of any county, including a county having a metropolitan form of government, has the power to prescribe such lower speed limits as it may deem appropriate on any road being maintained by the county and must erect appropriate signs and traffic signals. T he board of commissioners has such power in a county that has a commission form of government.  A county legislative body may delegate, by resolution of the body, the authority to lower such speed limits on roads to the chief administrative officer of the county highway department if the department employs an engineer capable of completing engineering and traffic investigations and ensures the completion of the same.  Engineering and traffic investigations used to establish speed limits by counties on roads maintained by the county must be made in accordance with established traffic engineering practices and in a manner that conforms to the guidelines in the manual on uniform traffic control devices (MUTCD), and within state supplemental guidelines. The investigations must be documented, and documentation must be maintained by the jurisdiction performing or sponsoring the investigation.