Steve Cantrell, a Smithville property owner, used the board's public forum to press officials about two issues drawing local attention: the city's recent fire‑truck purchase and the rollout of automated speed (photo) enforcement in school zones.

"When will tickets, vice warnings, be issued? What's the start date for that?" Cantrell asked, also pressing whether the police chief would initially pay for the fire truck by certified check and who requested an electronic transfer for the purchase.

The question about automated enforcement drew the most detailed response at the meeting. Police Chief Parker said the start date for issuing tickets was "undetermined" and that the program included a 30‑day warning period. "It's 11 over. We'll be issued a warning," he said, describing the threshold that would first trigger a warning instead of an immediate citation. The chief also said the city's traffic study was reimbursed by the camera vendor and that "we are out $0 money for the installation or the purchase of any anything to do with it," indicating no reported upfront cost to the city for study or equipment.

On the fire‑truck matter, the presiding official told the public they had spoken with "the TBI" the same morning and said investigators were "tracking accounts" and issuing subpoenas. "They are doing, a lot of subpoenas right now on these accounts," the official said, adding the investigation could be lengthy.

Why it matters: residents sought clarity on both the use of automated enforcement in school zones and transparency around a high‑profile municipal purchase. The city's position, as stated at the meeting, was that enforcement would begin with a warning period and that the vendor covered traffic‑study costs; investigators (named in the transcript as "the TBI") are pursuing records in the ongoing fire‑truck probe.

What happens next: officials did not announce a firm calendar date for tickets to begin. The chief said the program would move forward with the current approach to warnings and subsequent enforcement; the board did not take formal additional action on the camera program during this session.

Quotes in context: All quotations in this account come from the meeting transcript. Cantrell asked, "When will tickets, vice warnings, be issued? What's the start date for that?" Chief Parker explained the warning period and reimbursement arrangement. The presiding official reported, "they are tracking accounts and they are doing, a lot of subpoenas right now on these accounts."