Ad Hoc Committee Review of ATESD Ordinance – July 14, 2026
Ad Hoc Committee Review of ATESD Ordinance
The ad hoc committee met on July 14, 2026, to review the proposed ordinance for automatic traffic enforcement safety devices (ATESD), which includes red-light and speed cameras. The committee heard presentations from corporation counsel and the mayor's office, discussed key provisions, and voted to recommend the ordinance to the full city council with an amendment.
Discussion Items
- Corporation counsel presented the ordinance, which mirrors Connecticut General Statutes §§14-307b through 14-307h. Key definitions, vendor requirements, citation procedures, fines ($50 first violation, $55 subsequent, up to $15 processing fee), and enforcement protocols were outlined.
- Funds collected must be used for transportation mobility, infrastructure, or program costs.
- Vendors cannot have fees contingent on the number of citations issued or paid. Instead, fees may be based on services such as image review.
- The ordinance requires two-step review: first by an operator (vendor or city employee), then by a law enforcement officer or designated employee.
- School zones are already defined; pedestrian safety zones are to be determined through the city's comprehensive safety action plan, which will involve planning and zoning public hearings.
- Taylor (Mayor's Office) noted that the city has been researching vendors for about two years and that bus cameras have shown the difficulty of relying solely on officers for enforcement. The vendor selection process will go through the Board of Awards, not the city council.
- Councilwoman Wallace Smith raised questions about vendor cost structures and the use of fines. She requested that funds be explicitly earmarked for infrastructure projects and that there be a 30-day warning period and illuminated signage. She emphasized the need for public input to avoid pushback seen in other municipalities.
- Councilman Faye expressed concerns about pedestrian safety zones and requested thorough public engagement, referencing a recent tragedy.
- Councilman Faye also noted that the statute prohibits contingent fees, but a percentage-based model might still be contingent. Clarification was provided that fees are per capture reviewed, not per fine paid.
- Ex officio member Paul Rutello raised a strong objection: the ordinance fines the vehicle owner regardless of who was driving, which he argued is anti-democratic and fails to hold the actual violator accountable. He stated he would not support the ordinance without a mechanism to ensure the driver is identified.
- President Brazade (ex officio) expressed support for the ordinance, citing widespread speeding complaints and noting that owners are already held responsible for their property (e.g., E-ZPass violations). He argued that the fines are minimal and do not carry license suspension.
- Chair noted that the ordinance is just the first step; a plan with specific camera locations will later come before the council and the public. Multiple public hearings are expected: one for the ordinance, one for the plan, and potentially more for establishing pedestrian safety zones through planning and zoning.
- Discussion included scenarios for unregistered vehicles, stolen plates, and rental cars. Deputy Chief Sturden indicated that the police department uses data studies to identify hotspots and will use similar data to determine camera placements.
- Councilwoman Wallace Smith asked about consequences for non-payment. Taylor responded that the city is evaluating collection mechanisms and that vendors with collection capabilities are preferred.
Key Outcomes
- The committee voted unanimously (all in favor, none opposed) to recommend the city council approve the proposed ATESD ordinance with an amendment to Section 46-44(c) regarding retention of personally identifiable information (PPI) as presented by corporation counsel.
- The ordinance will now proceed to a public hearing before the full city council.
- The committee acknowledged that the ordinance adoption is the first step in a longer process that will include a separate plan with specific camera locations, additional public hearings, and DOT approval.
Meeting Transcript
We are going to start the ad hoc that is reviewing the new ordinance sections 46-35, which is automatic traffic enforcement safety devices, which will all butcher ATESD. Again, it's the same from the previous ad hoc. I'm in the chair along with councilwomen Wallace Smith and Faye. We still have ex officio members of President Brazade and Paul Rutello in the room. And we have the same members of the public that I mentioned before. This is a review of the ordinance that needs to be on the books in order for this process to go forward. Our approval of this ordinance, although it will go on the books and be there, is the first step to a long process before we even get to the first camera being placed. So what we approve tonight or what we recommend to this the city council tonight does not mean next month, if the city council approves it, the cameras will be deployed. The process is that we get it on the books, and I believe at this point in time, both the police department and the traffic division are beginning their research on where to put the cameras because they have to create a document, okay, that has to be brought back to the city council, approved by the city council to go to the DOT to be approved. So we're nowhere close to cameras being placed next month. So just want to make sure everybody understands that this is just the first step, first cod and a wheel that is gonna go for a little while here. So I'm gonna we started uh the last um ad hoc with a PowerPoint presentation. Did we get through all the slides or was there a few more slides? So we stopped at the protected information section, got a little bit into the ATSDs at the beginning because we needed it as the foundation for the PII. I'm gonna allow corporation council to continue their uh presentation, and then we'll go on and talk about the ordinance. Okay. Thank you. Is that clear as mud? Floor is yours. So as we previously noted in the ATSD ordinance, we mirrored the drafting of the ordinance to the state statutes, which are found in sections 14307B through 14307H. Adoption of the ordinance is the first of two steps that need to occur in order to start moving the process forward of adopting ATSD devices. Within the first uh within section 4636 of the ordinance is the definition section. On the screen, as we previously noted, is the definition of automatic traffic enforcement safety devices, which provides an explanation of what an ATSD device is. So that is either a red light camera or a speeding camera, which detects a motor vehicle that exceeds the posted speed limit of 10 or more miles per hour, or fails to stop such vehicle when facing a steady red signal on a traffic control signal. We already discussed the PII, which is listed in section 4644 of the ordinance where no personally identifiable information shall be disclosed by the city or a vendor to any person or entity, including any law enforcement unit, except where the disclosure is made in connection with the charging, collection, and enforcement of the fines imposed pursuant to the article. If I could refer everyone back to section 4637 after the definitions, which is where we have an explanation of vendors. Under section 14307 C B of the Connecticut General Statute states that the municipality may enter into agreements with vendors for the design, installation, operation, or maintenance, or any combination thereof of automatic traffic enforcement safety devices. If a vendor designs, installs, operates, or maintains an automatic traffic enforcement safety device, the vendor's fee may not be contingent on the number of citations issued or fines paid pursuant to an ordinance adopted under this section. The city's drafted ordinance has the same definition of vendor verbatim. CGS section 14307CB states that a municipality may enter into an agreement with a vendor for the design installation and operation of the device. Vendors are helpful in providing analytics and assist in drafting reports that are required for the installation of these devices by the DOT, and additionally, vendor chosen must be familiar with and comply with state laws. This includes the storage and access of PAI and private information. Operation and citation. This is also seen in ordinance section 4648 operation of ATSD. The operator must review the recorded images provided by the ATSD device. After review, if there are reasonable grounds to believe that a violation of the ordinance has occurred, the operator may issue a citation to the owner of the vehicle. And this mirrors section 14307 CI1 of the Connecticut General Statutes. When it comes to citations, the citation must include the name and address of the owner of the vehicle, the license plate, the violation charged, the location of the ATSD date and time of violation, and a copy of the information to view the recorded images electronically. The citation must also include the statement or electronically generated affirmation by the member or employee of the DPD who reviewed the recorded images and determined that the motor vehicle violated the ordinance. So there's a two-step process. First, the operator has to review the citation to make sure that there is, in fact, a violation. And then there has to be pursuant to the statute, a review by the law enforcement or a designated employee of law enforcement that a violation has, in fact, occurred. The citation must have a statement verifying that the ATSD device was operating correctly at the time of the alleged violation and the date of the most recent calibration check performed pursuant to Connecticut General Statute, Section 14307 CH. The amount of the fine imposed and how much how to pay the fine also must be included on the citation, as well as the citation must be sent within 30 days of the violation under Section 14307 CI2. Must be sent via first class mail, and the record of the mailing should be saved by law enforcement to enter into evidence at a hearing if one is requested by the alleged violator. Section 14307 CG of the Connecticut General Statute states that an ATSD operator shall complete training offered by the manufacturer of the device. The manufacturer and manufacturer's representative shall issue a signed certificate to the operator at the time of the completion of the training. The signed certificate shall be admitted as evidence in any hearing conducted pursuant to section 7152C of the Connecticut General Statute. The city must ensure that each ATSD used by the city undergoes an annual calibration check performed at a calibration laboratory under Connecticut General Statute Section 14307 CH. The calibration laboratory shall issue a signed certificate of calibration after the annual calibration check, and the signed certificate of calibration shall be kept on file and admitted as evidence in any hearing conducted pursuant to section 7152c.
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