The City Commission approved a new five-year service agreement for traffic-camera services, city staff said, replacing the vendor selected in 2017 with a vendor offering lower per-citation costs and upgraded technology.

When commissioners asked about the scope and compliance of the new agreement, staff said the contract would maintain the city’s compliance with red-light and speed-camera requirements while providing “a much better deal as far as cost for the city per citation, and it gives us more advanced technology,” according to the presentation during the meeting.

Staff said the city’s previous contract dated to February 2017 and the new procurement process sought to re-bid the service to allow competitors to offer proposals and to reduce costs. The new agreement is a five-year contract with two one-year options for renewal.

Commissioners asked whether the change in vendor and the vendor mailing address might cause residents to question authenticity of notices; staff said the city logo and materials will remain visible on correspondence and that staff contact information will be available on the mailing to reassure residents.

The service agreement was included in the city manager’s recommendations and approved by the commission as part of the consent/action items that morning; staff said the contract will allow the city to operate traffic cameras with upgraded systems under the new vendor terms.