Lansing City Council discusses status of speed camera ordinance
by Julie Berg-Raymond
During its regular meeting Monday, April 15, the Lansing City Council discussed the status of a speed camera ordinance in Lansing. The city council had earlier approved the installation of one or more speed cameras during its regular December 4, 2023, meeting.
Once the council had approved the installation of speed cameras in Lansing, its next task was to work on drafting a proposed ordinance involving their use; but there has been some delay in that process.
“There was a great deal of discussion concerning cameras and the contract for them,” Mayor Mike Verdon said in an email interview following the April 15 regular meeting. “There were some committee changes when the new council was seated that resulted in ‘handing off’ information between council members that resulted in delays in properly processing [that information]. That hand-off, coupled with the bridge situation, made for the delays.”
“At the meeting next Monday [April 22] Ordinance #207 will be presented for amendment to include the addition of automatic traffic enforcement (speed cameras),” Mayor Verdon said. The council will be considering waiving second and third readings of that amended ordinance, he added.
Lansing/New Albin Police Chief Conrad Rosendahl also spoke about the status of the speed camera ordinance in an email interview following the April 15 council meeting. “The equipment will not be in place until they acquire the proper permits from the Iowa DOT,” he said. Also, he added, “current legislation that has passed both the Iowa House and Senate and is now on the Governor’s desk waiting to be signed gives the Iowa DOT the power to approve or disapprove speed cameras on state highways including those that go through cities such as Lansing and New Albin. It is taking a minimum of two years to gain approval from the DOT. So right now, I really don’t know where the process sits. I know they have people at the State House fighting for verbiage clarification that is vague in the new bill.”
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