DAPHNE — The city’s Finance Committee on Monday discussed a proposal to recommend that the City Council appropriate funds for traffic issues.

TimberCreek residents, who have said it is very difficult to get out of their neighborhood onto U.S. Highway 31, had requested a traffic signal, according to Councilman August Palumbo.

Daphne’s Public Works Department, as well as the Alabama Department of Transportation, had conducted a traffic study and agreed that the intersection warrants a traffic signal due to increased traffic, according to Palumbo.

The city would pay $25,000 — half the cost — and the state will pay the other half, Palumbo said.

“I’d like to see the appropriation recommended because if the ball doesn’t get rolling, it will only be pushed back further,” Council member Ron Scott said.

The wait-time for a traffic signal at Alabama Highway 181 and Lawson Road is about 20 months because of all the difficulties with the monies, according to Scott.

It was unclear who should pay for the device — Baldwin County or Daphne — according to Scott.

It was determined that the city was to pay for the signal. However, the county paid for half of the city’s share because of the mishaps, Scott said.

To pay for the device, Councilwoman Regina Landry suggested that the money come from the 7 cent gas tax fund. The account has about $80,000 in unobligated funds, according to Kim Briley, finance director.

Also on Monday, committee members voted to recommend $30,054.66 to complete a recycling-building project.

“There was never enough money for this building,” Melvin McCarley, Public Works superintendent, said.

The structure being built was not equipped to handle fire suppression, and it had to be redone, according to McCarley. The slab is completed and the building materials have been purchased.

Residents who use the recycling drop-off point are leaving items at the construction area and Public Works employees are having to transfer the items to the other building that is already there.

This should be paid for through the enterprise fund, which is set up for garbage and recycling programs, according to Briley.

In other business:

•The sales tax collection in May was $72,000 more than what was budgeted: $950,447, according to Briley. However, it was under budget for the three months prior to that, she said.

•Lodging tax collections for May totaled $52,564.61. This budget is done in a lump sum for the year. Year-to-date, it is above the budgeted amount.

•The preliminary budget for the 2007-2008 fiscal year will be given to Mayor Fred Small within the next week.