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Canfield council approves ordinance banning texting while driving
Summary
At a regular meeting, Canfield City Council approved an ordinance amending section 331.44 to restrict composing, sending or reading text messages while driving; council and police said enforcement will include fines that escalate with repeat offenses.
Canfield City Council on a routine motion approved an ordinance amending section 331.44 of the municipal code to prohibit composing, sending or reading text messages while driving in the city.
The ordinance, read aloud on the floor by the council president, states that “no person shall use a mobile communication device to compose, send, or read text messages while driving a motor vehicle in the municipality of Canfield.” The council moved for passage and members recorded affirmative votes during the meeting. Police Chief Kalanchi said the department has stepped up distracted-driving enforcement this spring and will work with state patrol partners on patrols and citations.
Chief Kalanchi described the enforcement structure and fines: “Whoever violates this section shall be fined $100 for the 1st offense, $250 for the 2nd offense, and no more than $500 for each offense,” and said the department issued more citations this spring as traffic accidents have risen. Council members asked that the police chief and staff be available to answer resident questions before final action; the motion passed in the meeting’s roll call vote.
The ordinance was assigned as 2026-1 for recordkeeping. Council members said residents present were welcome to ask questions of staff before the vote; none were recorded in the public portion of this transcript. The council did not annotate any effective date during the recorded discussion; implementation timing was not specified.
