Three.
I wonder if they’re budget could absorb a high paid consumtant…
I’ll hire on, call the stoplight manufacturer, present the fix to the committee, become a hero,…maybe they’ll even give me a key to the city!
“Maintenance mechanics…” don’t make these decisions. There is an engineering staff that makes them, and they make even more money that the techs. Still, for engineers, they are lower paid. Government workers are almost always paid less than their private business counterparts.
“An actual recommendation to the municipality suffering this malady would be to call the manufacturer. I’ll bet my morning muffins they’ll have a solution already developed. My guess is that it will be a different sunshield and perhaps a recommendation to tilt the lights. Of course, that will all have to go to a budget committee…”
You must not like those muffins - you’re always wagering them. 
The budget committee is only a problem if it is in the state legislature. Private businesses have far fewer problems reacting to issues like this. If they don’t they’re out of business. Government agencies usually respond quickly, too. They know that they are target for legislators, and it’s a cheap thrill, too. The legislator angers a couple of state employees and makes scores of friends in the general public. Cheap votes.
"…maybe they’ll even give me a key to the city!
Forget the key to the city, go for the Mayor’s limo! You won’t need keys - the driver takes care of that!
I guess my plan to put LED’s in my socks to keep from freezing my toes off isn’t going to work. If Santa doesn’t show up this year, we’ll know that Rudolph’s GPS got fogged up. He’ll have to go back to the shiny nose.
I like my muffins.
Stoplights are generally purchased through the municipal Highway Department, the state’s Highway Department, or a branch of the state’s Department of Safety, depending on whether it’s a state or local road and the governmental structure for the individual state. They vary. Any expendature for a fix, since it’s a public expendature, would come from the relevant department’s maintenance budget or from the general fund. Either way, the appropriation will need to go to the appropriate budget committee(s). Departments used to have extra money built into their budgets that could be drawn on for these type of expendatures, but those days are long gone.
In our state, any expendature exceeding $5,000 needs to go on a “Longform Contract” proposal, be put out to three bids (or a Sole Source be justified), and be approved by the Governor and Executive Counsel (affectionately called the G&C). I’ve done these. They’re no fun at all.
Yup, the stoplight fix would come from eitheer municipal or state funds and need to be approved by some committee. I’ll bet my beloved morning muffins…corn muffins.