Marion City Council votes to approve red light and speeding cameras

The Marion City Council voted Thursday to adopt an ordinance that will add language to city code allowing for the installation of Automated Traffic Enforcement cameras at certain intersections in the city.

The cameras will be used to detect red light infractions and speeding. The ordinance doesn’t specify how many cameras would be installed, or where they would be placed. The ordinance simply opens the door for the city to start collecting data to determine how best to use traffic cameras and begin looking at possible contracts.

Marion Police Chief Mike Kitsmiller first proposed the cameras to the city council during a work session in February. He suggested placing cameras at the intersection of Highways 13 and 151, and the intersection of Highway 100 and East Post Road, and presented data indicating those intersections have a high rate of crashes.

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The council also approved a policy Thursday that establishes guidelines and procedures for use of the cameras. The guidelines include instructions that the placement of stationary cameras must be approved by city council, but the placement of a mobile speed camera can be authorized by the police chief after receiving citizen complaints.

When the mobile camera is used, it will stay in the same place for at least 48 hours, and notice must be given on the police department’s social media pages and in print at city hall and the police station at least 12 hours before the camera unit is placed.

The camera policy also states that statistical data regarding violations caught by the cameras will be included in the City Council report each month, and the council will conduct a review of the camera program every six months.

When the cameras catch someone running a red light or speeding, the owner of the vehicle will be mailed a notice of the traffic infraction with instructions on how to challenge the citation. Citations must be paid or challenged with a written letter within 30 days of being issued.

The fee for running a red light will be $100, as established in the ordinance, and the fees for speeding were established on a scale starting at $50 for driving between 5 and 10 mph over the speed limit.

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Both the proposed ordinance and the camera policy were approved with a 6-1 vote. Council member Gage Miskimen voted no on both.

Miskimen said during the meeting that he feels there may be other options to explore when it comes to making certain intersections safer, like adding flashing lights before the intersection to alert cars that there’s a stoplight coming up, or adjusting the length of yellow lights.

“Ideally, obviously, the goal would be that nobody gets a ticket and everybody follows the rules,” Miskimen said.

Other council members expressed some concerns, but said they believe the cameras will ultimately be good for Marion.

“Do I like them? No. Was I opposed when it first came up? Yes,” council member Sara Mentzer said. “I don’t know who likes them, but, again, we have to do something to try to deal with the dangerous intersections we’re dealing with.”

The Marion City Council in 2021 chose to not move forward on a traffic camera ordinance that was proposed by Kitsmiller.

At Thursday’s meeting, council member Steve Jensen pointed out that he hasn’t seen much public comment in recent months regarding the issue — only a few emails and a couple comments in meetings. But when he’s spoken with individuals about the cameras, most people he’s talked with are in favor of them.

One person, Brandon Ald, spoke out against the proposal during the public forum Thursday. Ald told the council that he believes the cameras are just a way for the city to make money but won’t actually deter traffic infractions.

“I feel that (the cameras) are unconstitutional and illegal,” Ald said.

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