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Newberry staff report high school‑zone speeding in pilot; commission asks ASO for fuller presentation
Summary
City manager Marla presented an internal study and county pilot showing substantial speeding in school zones and asked the commission whether to invite ASO for a fuller briefing and a resolution to allow automated enforcement; commissioners requested more detail and signaled support for a follow‑up presentation.
City manager Marla told the Newberry City Commission on May 26 that a recent internal review and a county pilot using AI‑enabled cameras found substantial speeding in the city’s three school zones and asked the commission whether it wanted staff to bring ASO to a future meeting for a full presentation.
"It doesn't cost the citizens of Newberry anything," Marla said of the ASO program, adding that the company and its vendor, Ultimate, handle installation and ticket administration and that cameras only register a violation once a vehicle exceeds the posted limit by roughly 5 miles per hour. Marla said the system is designed to reduce speeding rather than function as a revenue source.
Why it matters: staff said the sampled days produced hundreds of violations — Marla cited roughly 1,100 violations at one location over two sampled days and said traffic volumes for those samples ranged from several thousand to about 16,000 daily trips at the busiest school zone. That prompted questions from commissioners about enforcement details, holiday operations and revenue sharing.
Commissioner Farnsworth asked whether cameras operate when schools are closed for holidays; Marla said that if a flashing school‑zone signal is left on in error, the system can capture events and municipalities typically coordinate to correct such mistakes. Commissioner Maison pressed about how funds collected by the vendor are split; Marla said the city receives only a small share ("about 50¢ somewhere in there" per ticket, she said, noting the dollar amounts are subject to the vendor contract).
Marla emphasized that the cameras include vehicle and facial recognition capabilities to match images to registered vehicles and persons for ticketing and said the vendor typically provides an initial presentation and then asks for a city resolution authorizing operations.
Following the presentation the commission signaled broad interest in a more detailed briefing: Marla said staff will invite ASO and the sheriff’s office (or a designee) to return with a full presentation and a draft ordinance for the commission to consider.
What’s next: staff will schedule ASO and the sheriff’s office for a future meeting and bring a draft ordinance and contract terms for the commission to review before any enforcement begins.
