East Canton Council approves ordinances to authorize use of traffic cameras and vendor agreement

The Village of East Canton council voted in roll-call votes to approve two ordinances that would authorize automated traffic enforcement and let the village enter a three‑year contract with Targeting and Solutions Limited to provide traffic‑camera enforcement services.

Council advanced Ordinance 2025-11 (second reading) to authorize a three‑year agreement, with a one‑year renewal option, for traffic‑violation enforcement services and advanced Ordinance 2025-12 (second reading) to amend the village code to permit use of the automated enforcement the agreement would employ. Both measures passed on recorded roll calls during the meeting.

The ordinances were pushed by the police department as a way to reduce high‑speed driving on village thoroughfares while freeing officers to do neighborhood patrols and investigative work. The police chief said the intent is to have fixed camera coverage on the higher‑volume roads so officers can focus their visible patrols on residential streets and small businesses: "The cameras would handle the high volume areas and our officers would handle the more residential side," the chief said during council discussion.

Public comment included former officer Ryan Hughes, who said he supports enforcement tools while noting the value of visible patrols: "I think they're phenomenal because they do help alleviate the police department from dealing with traffic," Hughes said.

A presenter who spoke at length addressed legal authority and program outcomes in other jurisdictions. The presenter said Ohio's home‑rule framework allows cities and villages to use photo enforcement and that the state Supreme Court has rejected attempts to ban cameras for municipalities. The presenter also provided revenue and performance examples from other communities and described grant programs — including school safety and Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) options — that may offset village costs.

Council and staff discussed program details raised in the meeting: how the village would contract for enforcement, the village's share of citation revenue after vendor and court fees, network benefits that can produce license‑plate hits from neighboring jurisdictions, and grant opportunities that could reduce up‑front costs. Staff said the intention is to seek available grants so the village would have little or no initial capital outlay.

Votes at the meeting recorded approval of the two ordinances in roll‑call votes. The ordinances were described in the meeting text as: Ordinance 2025-11 (authorize a three‑year agreement with Targeting and Solutions Limited to provide traffic violation enforcement services) and Ordinance 2025-12 (amend village code to authorize traffic enforcement and use of the vendor). Motion text, supporting documents, and the full ordinance language were placed on the meeting packet.

Council members asked staff to provide comparative data from similarly sized communities, and the police chief and staff said they will supply summaries of outcomes, local speed studies, and potential grant sources at a future meeting.

The ordinances’ adoption means the village is authorized to proceed with the vendor agreement and the drafting of implementing procedures; council directed staff to return with grant‑sourcing details, program costs and an implementation timeline.