NEWTON FALLS — Village council has given the initial first reading to proceed with getting speed cameras posted in school zones not only to slow down speeders, but to generate funds for the police department, which returned to operations July 1. The final vote is scheduled for Aug. 6.

Council voted 5-0 at their meeting Wednesday to have photo traffic enforcement cameras put in place next month starting first in school zones. Police Chief John Barco said he wants to begin having the cameras in school zones as the new school year begins in late August.

He said he will look at other high speeding areas of the community once the school zone cameras are operational.

Barco said the police department has been in operation for 23 days and officers have dealt with various issues, including speeding, mostly over the July 4 weekend.

Mayor David Hanson said a study was done in different parts of the community and there are places where there are more issues with speeding vehicles. He said the cameras will help generate funds to support the department and help get people to slow down when driving in the village.

“We need to have a way to fund the department. It is simple. If you are speeding, you get a ticket. This will get drivers to slow down and also help us get the police department up and running,” Hanson said.

He said there have been a lot of problems with speeding, drivers going through stop signs, and dirt bikes and motorcycles going fast in different locations.

Officials said having the nonmanned speed cameras will allow police to be patrolling throughout the community or dealing with more serious calls.

Law Director Jeff Limbian said he handles cases in Newton Falls Municipal Court and has noticed an increase in speeding vehicles, with some going 30 to 40 mph over the posted limits, and on the nearby Ohio Turnpike, with some going 90 or 100 mph.

He said the speeders are both local residents and nonresidents just passing through the village.

Second Ward Councilman Brian Axiotis said he supports the ordinance if it is strictly for the cameras being in school zones, but he can’t support them in other places. He said if they are placed anywhere else, he wants Barco to bring those plans to council.

Axiotis said he wants police officers to be stopping people for speeding in the village since the cameras will not stop the driver, but send them a ticket a few weeks later.

“If someone is going 100 in a 40 mph zone, that camera will not stop that person. I would rather the police stop and ticket that driver,” he said.

Fourth Ward Councilman Kevin Rufener said if drivers are not speeding, they will not get a ticket.

“They say this is a cash grab, but only to those who are breaking the law. These cameras will help the police department so they can also be in places where they are needed,” he said.

Rufener said if people are driving 10 or more miles over a posted limit in a school zone they deserve a ticket.

Barco said the speed cameras will not be held by an officer because the department is only part-time.

Resident John Baryak said he is against the speed cameras and said officials should have found some other way to pay for the police department. He said the speed cameras are “a cash grab.”

Resident Julie Lemon said she supports the cameras in the school zones, noting she has seen drivers speed in the mornings dropping students off for school.

“Having the cameras will help save lives,” she said.

Resident Dennis Jones asked Barco to consider speed cameras on Ravenna Road where people go more than 60 or 70 mph.

Third Ward Councilman Bob Burke said the speed cameras will send a message that speeding, especially in school zones, will not be tolerated in Newton Falls.