Committee advances Novoa Global contract for school-zone cameras; pilot, pricing and location plan outlined

The Quality of Life & Public Safety Committee voted to send to counsel, with a favorable recommendation, staff's proposal to contract with Novoa Global to provide automated traffic-enforcement systems (speed and red-light cameras) for Hartford.

Director Deutsch presented the request, saying staff seek to extend the typical initial contract period because of the upfront installation investment and the turnkey nature of the vendor's proposal. "The selected vendor, Novoa Global, or Novoa, proposed 1 of the lowest prices and also had 1 of the highest ratings," Deutsch said. He told the committee that six proposals were received in the August 2024 solicitation and that Novoa was shortlisted after reference checks and panel review.

Key contract and pilot details presented to the committee:

- Pricing: $2,500 per camera system under the proposed contract plus $10 per each violation processed, according to the presentation. - Installation costs: staff said upfront installation costs average about $60,000 at the low end but can be as high as $150,000 depending on site infrastructure. - Pilot timeframe: staff recommended an initial pilot period of about six months to one year, including a 30-day initial warning period before enforcement begins. - Scope: staff proposed starting with cameras in officially designated school zones (four city-designated zones noted) and said additional zones could be formalized and added after council and Department of Transportation (DOT) approvals. - Turnkey services: the vendor's offering would include equipment, repairs, calibration, processing software, training for municipal staff, a customer-payment portal, customized reports and assistance with hearing processes and a public-awareness campaign.

Deutsch emphasized that the contract contains a "cost neutral" provision that prevents camera costs from exceeding revenue to the city: "The cost of the cameras will never exceed the revenue. That's, called the cost neutral provision," he said. He also said state law and the city code of ordinances direct that any revenue be used to improve transportation mobility or infrastructure; the mayor's office and budget staff recommended the Complete Streets Fund as the most appropriate fund to receive revenue and pay the vendor.

On enforcement mechanics, Deutsch said citations would be issued to the registered owner and are financial only; they do not affect vehicle registration. Citations would be reviewed by a police officer before issuance and may be appealed through the city's established citation-hearing procedures.

Director Deutsch outlined the next steps: if the council approves the contract, Novoa would assist in preparing the location plan required by DOT; staff would finalize school-zone eligibility and submit a location plan to council for public hearing and approval, then to DOT. Staff said red-light cameras and cameras outside school zones require additional justification to DOT and that the initial focus on school zones would streamline the early rollout.

Motion and committee vote

A committee member moved to send the proposal back to counsel with a favorable recommendation. The chair called for the aye vote and recorded two recorded "aye" responses in the transcript; the chair then announced the motion passed. No roll-call tally of individual council members was recorded in the transcript.

The committee did not yet authorize purchases or installations; the vote referred the draft contract and supporting materials to counsel for final drafting and return to the committee or full council for subsequent action.