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Hubbard Township considers speed cameras to bolster police fund
HUBBARD
Hubbard Township has had a contract with the Tennessee-based speed camera company Blue Line Solutions since 2015, but never actively used speed cameras.
That may soon change.
Hubbard trustees chairman Fred Hanley, police Chief Todd Coonce and Blue Line representatives met Wednesday to discuss acquiring the proper signage to start operating the cameras on routes including Interstate 80.
Township trustees say a desire to increase safety on highways and bolster the police fund, which may face a deficit early next year, are why they want to use traffic photo enforcement.
As far as safety goes, “Does this work? Yes,” Hanley said. “On Interstate 680 in Youngstown, people actually obey the laws now. It’s another tool law enforcement has to slow people down.”
The revenue generated would all go to the police fund, so the trustees can avoid having to downsize police staffing.
Sue Goterba, the township’s fiscal officer, said the police fund is currently at $218,000, but after this month’s expenses, the fund is projected to start the new year at about $190,000 to cover all police expenses including payroll.
“To be comfortable to make it, we need a $400,000 carryover into the new year,” she said.
Until taxes are collected in March, the department will not receive any more revenue. The township will take out a loan to cover payroll and other necessary expenses because the fund is expected to run out by the end of January.
Trustees hoped the continuous 3.5-mill police levy on November’s ballot would bolster police funds, but it was rejected by just 16 votes.
“This is what leads us to the present situation,” said Trustee Rick Hernandez. “I speak from the heart. I do not believe that it behooves my community to lay off police officers in this day and age.”
Hanley said the township received permits for certain state routes when it contracted with Blue Line, but the township’s legal counsel, Mark Finamore, ruled back in 2015 that the township didn’t have jurisdiction to run speed cameras on highways.
New opinions from the state attorney general and a ruling from the Ohio Department of Transportation earlier this year, however, changed that.
ODOT revoked permits for signage from the township for U.S. Route 62, state Route 304 and state Route 616 in July, along with other routes in nearby communities.
Then in August, ODOT ruled that speed cameras can’t be installed on highways, but they can be used if they are hand-held and proper signage is installed along corporation lines.
Hubbard Township officials are waiting for ODOT’s approval for new pending permits. If approved, there will be a 30-day trial period where drivers will get warnings instead of citations.
Hanley said the township did the trial period in 2015, and drivers were caught driving at dangerously high speeds. If speed cameras are used in the township, it will focus on routes such as I-80, to cut down on the amount of crashes and keep traffic at safe speeds, Hanley said.