PORTAGE — After residents expressed concerns about people allegedly speeding through a residential street with a high child population, the Portage Borough Council on Monday scheduled a public hearing to address the issue.

At the June 15 hearing, the council will hear any public feedback before deciding whether to revise the maximum speed limit for Terrace Circle — beginning at Lincoln Drive through Washington Avenue — from 25 to 15 miles per hour.

Portage Borough Manager Makayla Zonfrilli-Lang said she has received emails from concerned residents about people speeding through Terrace Circle, noting there’s a high population of children who live at a property owned by the Johnstown Housing Authority.

Zonfrilli-Lang said the borough has already posted speed limit signs in the area in an effort to deter people from speeding. But those signs aren’t enforceable until the borough council amends its speed limit ordinance, she said, noting the signs cost money to take down.

“As a borough, one of our main goals is public safety, so we want to make sure that our streets are safe for our kids,” Zonfrilli-Lang said.

The speed limit throughout the borough is generally 25 miles per hour, except for a few posted school zone areas where the maximum speed is 15 miles per hour, she said.

Those areas include Johnson Avenue, Prospect Street, High Street and Mountain Avenue between Grant and High streets, Zonfrilli-Lang said.

The hearing will take place about 6:15 p.m. Monday, June 15, at the Portage Borough building, 721 Main St.

Just because a motion was made Monday to advertise the public hearing doesn’t mean the council will pass the amended ordinance, Zonfrilli-Lang said, noting the hearing is “just part of the process to get that started.”

Beyond speed limit revisions, Zonfrilli-Lang said she’s identified additional ordinances requiring updates to ensure the borough’s laws remain effective, including the establishment of a contingency “rainy day” fund to cover emergency expenses.

Zonfrilli-Lang said the borough doesn’t have a line item in its 2026 budget for a contingency fund currently. All of the borough’s savings have been “funneled into” its capital improvements account, which restricts use of those funds, she said.

Creating a contingency fund would unrestrict some of the borough’s financial resources, enabling officials to use them for “other things for the taxpayers,” Zonfrilli-Lang said, adding they could use a contingency account for promoting special events, like the United States semiquincentennial, or to help with legal fees.

Zonfrilli-Lang said she is currently looking into the legality process of creating a contingency fund.

“It’s in the legal review process right now,” she said.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.