Leesburg reviews school‑zone speed‑camera report showing $1.28 million in payments; city net about $361,000

The Leesburg City Commission on Oct. 27 approved a resolution to review the annual report for the city’s school‑zone speed detection systems covering Oct. 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, and heard a presentation from Chief Joe Iose of the Leesburg Police Department.

Chief Iose said the city issued 19,662 citations during the reporting period. He gave several different counts in the presentation transcript for paid citations: at one point he said 13,096 had been paid to date; later he said total payments of $1,276,576.22 resulted from 12,872 paid citations. Contested citations numbered 160; of those, 61 were upheld and 15 were dismissed.

Chief Iose gave a breakdown of how payments were distributed: the state received 23% ($294,177.65), the school district 12% ($153,483.98), and school crossing guards 5% ($63,951.67). He said the net to the city was $360,952.12. He also reported the company that operates the camera program absorbed approximately $406,004.67 in program costs and listed city program expenditures including $11,858.12 for personnel expenses, $1,940 for professional services (hearing costs), $163.10 for operating supplies, and $28,128 for the crossing‑guard safety program, restriping school zones and new lights. Chief Iose said new lights were installed in 19 school zones and that the total of those listed city expenditures was $42,089.22.

Commissioners asked for clarifications on totals. A commissioner said the cameras appear to be working and that they had received a “friendly notice” during the first 30 days; another commissioner said they have seen fewer drivers speeding through school zones.

When asked how crossing‑guard funds are distributed, Chief Iose said the school board receives its share and that the city has contracted with a company that now manages the crossing‑guard program. He said he had spoken with school board chairman Brady Berg, adding the school district had not yet spent its portion and was considering safety options for Leesburg schools.

The resolution was advanced and approved by roll call vote during the meeting. The commission opened public comment on the matter and received no speakers.

Notes on source material: the presentation transcript contains inconsistent figures for the number of paid citations (13,096 versus 12,872) and the report text above follows the chief’s reading of dollar amounts and the later citation count associated with the $1,276,576.22 total. The article does not resolve that discrepancy beyond reporting both numbers as presented in the meeting.