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Middletown panel backs ordinance authorizing speed cameras after hearing technical and legal questions
Summary
The commission approved an ordinance to authorize automated speed-enforcement cameras (30 days warnings, then fines for 10 mph over), discussed vendor options and state approval of sites, and heard public concerns about indirect costs and plate covers.
The Middletown Public Safety Commission voted July 15 to accept an ordinance authorizing automated speed-enforcement cameras and to forward the plan to the General Code Committee for state review of proposed sites.
Chief Eric Costa described how the camera program would operate: the city would set camera thresholds (the draft sets enforcement at 10 miles per hour over posted limits), provide 30 days of warning-only operation, then carry fines of $50 for a first violation and $75 for a second. Costa said cameras photograph license plates, the DMV verifies registered owners, and unpaid fines would be handled through the city’s collections process similar to parking tickets.
Costa estimated a program could pay for itself: based on a high-traffic site with roughly 10,000 vehicles a day he described potential revenue ranging ‘‘somewhere around $600,000 a year’’ in the long run, though he emphasized site selection, equity studies and state approval of locations would govern which streets qualify.
Commissioners asked about where cameras can be placed, how vendors are selected (lease vs. buy), upfront costs and how the program handles constitutional or legal concerns. Costa said vendors commonly propose no upfront cost models through revenue-sharing or leasing, but he recommended the city consider purchasing equipment and using a maintenance contract so the city owns the asset long term.
During the public hearing, residents raised practical concerns, including potential indirect court and administrative costs, the effect on insurance, and the use of plate covers that obscure images. “You probably might get someone… who’s going to sue to see if it’s constitutional,” said Laura Timmons of Middletown, urging the commission to factor legal and indirect costs into the plan.
The commission voted to accept the ordinance as written and to forward the plan to the General Code Committee; the chair noted the state must approve specific camera sites and the city will perform engineering and equity analyses before deployment.
Next steps include drafting the formal ordinance language for GCC review, completing site engineering studies required by state law, and settling procurement approach and maintenance agreements with vendor options examined by city purchasing and legal counsel.
