The City of Sydney Council on May 27 adopted the Safe Streets for All action plan, a federally funded road‑safety planning document intended to guide future grant applications and local safety projects.

Consultant Dave Schaff, of M.T. Schaff & Associates, told the council the project combined 10 years of crash data with extensive public input and produced a prioritized list of projects to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on the city’s transportation system. "The overall goal ... they call it the vision 0, which basically is the vision is to have 0 fatalities or serious injuries throughout your transportation system," Schaff said.

The plan was prepared under the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe Streets for All program and ranks potential work by data and community input so the city can apply for implementation grants. Schaff said staff and a task force prioritized about 74 potential projects and prepared cost estimates to support future funding requests.

Council members emphasized the plan’s dual data-and-public-input approach. Schaff said crash-analysis work drew on Nebraska State Patrol and local police records, and that the resulting high‑injury network was concentrated downtown and along the state highway through the city. He noted the city’s recent five‑year increase in fatalities had raised Sydney’s per‑capita rate to about the national average for similar communities and was a motivator for action.

The plan separates projects by timeframe so the city can seek funding for short-term, 1–2 year actions and for larger 3–5 year and longer projects. Schaff said the document is a living plan that staff and the task force will review periodically as part of grant assurances.

Councilmember Kirkman moved to adopt the plan; the motion was seconded and passed on a 5–0 roll call. After adoption the plan will be finalized and posted on the city website, and staff said they will actively pursue implementation grants immediately.

Support and next steps noted during the meeting included: the city’s task force continuing annual reviews, preparing applications for implementation funding, and using the plan’s project matrix to sequence work. Schaff and city staff said an executive summary and the full draft are available on the city website for anyone seeking more detail.

The council did not at the meeting commit any specific construction dollars; adoption authorizes the city to use the plan for grant applications and to prioritize projects for future funding.