NU city council sets 2045 traffic safety goal

Accepts $5K grant for youth police outreach

NEW ULM -- The New Ulm City Council approved a comprehensive long-term plan aiming to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2045, while also accepting a corporate grant intended to foster positive law enforcement connections with local youth.

Nicole Beckman, a senior consultant with SRF Consulting Group, presented the final draft of the New Ulm Safety Action Plan to council members during the meeting. The plan establishes a bold vision target of zero traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries within two decades, alongside an interim goal of cutting fatal and serious injury crashes across the city by 50% to 60% over the next 10 years.

“The goal is a part of that requirement,” Beckman said during her presentation to the council. “It’s here to establish and demonstrate that there is leadership commitment, hoping to have that adoption of the goal, and then establishes a community-wide safety vision, guides future strategies and investments.”

To establish those benchmarks, project planners conducted a detailed safety analysis of local crash data collected between 2020 and 2024. Over that five-year period, New Ulm recorded 16 severe or fatal traffic crashes, averaging roughly three to four serious incidents per year. 

Beckman said that preliminary city crash data from 2025 and 2026 indicates the city is currently moving in the right direction to meet its reduction targets, recording zero traffic fatalities so far in 2026.

Beckman explained that the city’s safety strategy relies on a comprehensive design approach across New Ulm’s entire transportation network, incorporating both engineering improvements and community outreach.

“We’re going to incorporate the safe systems approach as well,” Beckman said. “That encompasses including all various types of safe road users, safe vehicles, speeds, EMS, and safe roads as a design element as a part of the safety action plan.”

The comprehensive planning initiative cost $250,000 and was fully funded through federal and state grants without requiring local property tax dollars. 

New Ulm secured a $200,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration's Safe Streets and Roads for All program, while the Minnesota Department of Transportation provided a $50,000 matching grant to cover the remaining local share.

City Engineer Joe Stadheim told the council that representatives from both the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Brown County Highway Department served directly on the project’s steering committee. Stadheim said incorporating those regional partners ensures that city safety priorities will be factored into future state and county highway projects passing through New Ulm boundaries.

“When MnDOT decides it’s time for reconstruction or improvements, we’ll have our plan that shows we have concerns at X, Y, and Z locations, and it will be addressed at that time,” Stadheim said. “None of this will be new to them because they have been involved throughout the whole process.”

Following the safety plan presentation, the council voted unanimously to accept a $5,000 Walmart Spark Good Community Support and Social Action Grant on behalf of the New Ulm Police Department.

Police Chief Dave Borchert told the council the grant will support annual New Ulm Night Out events and fund youth safety programs. Borchert said first encounters between young residents and law enforcement officers can often feel intimidating, making proactive community outreach essential for building trust early on.

“We’re really focused on having an opportunity to talk with students,” Borchert said. “A lot of times your first interaction with law enforcement just tends to be a little bit stressful. It's just kind of the nature of the beast. But we have opportunities like this trying to change that.”

Borchert said the department plans to use the grant funds to purchase small tokens, such as MN Eis tokens or plastic police badges, which officers can distribute when interacting with local children in public spaces. He noted that officers will also use those opportunities to encourage bicycle and electric scooter safety, acknowledging kids who follow traffic rules and wear proper safety equipment.

“If we see something positive, like ‘Thank you for wearing your helmet’ or ‘Crossing here is the correct place to cross,’ we just try to take it as a learning opportunity, maybe to educate the public and promote safety,” Borchert said.

In other action items, the council voted to approve grant applications for federal and state reimbursements through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for completed pavement repairs at the New Ulm Municipal Airport. The council also accepted a $7,000 donation from the Friends of the New Ulm Public Library.