Dover’s budget: Traffic lights, paving, bullet proof vests, softball field turf, more

DOVER (WJER) (March 6, 2024) – City officials are finding out how expensive it is to replace traffic lights this year.

The cost to replace them at two intersections is in the city’s 2024 budget, and it’s estimated at about $780,000.

ODOT paid most of the bill for other recent traffic light upgrades, but not the ones at the intersection of West 3^rd and Walnut streets downtown, and Walnut and West Slingluff down the road. An ODOT study concluded the lights were not warranted, but past city council members disagreed.

The city experimented with flashing lights, but that was not well received, so Auditor Nicole Stoldt says they’re paying for full upgrades this year.

Mayor Shane Gunnoe says another big expense in Dover’s 2024 budget is $1.1 million for paving. He says while they’ve done more paving with funding assistance from ODOT in past years, this is the most the city will spend itself on paving in a year.

Other items in the budget include a new ambulance, new equipment for firefighters and police including bulletproof vests, and several park upgrades, including resurfacing the basketball and tennis courts and upgrades to ballfields. That includes adding turf at the high school girls softball field.

Council OK’d the overall budget this week at $72.2 million, $600,000 less than last year.

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