Twinsburg council reviews Flock camera contract, advances tax and repair funding

Twinsburg City Council held a caucus session, a finance committee meeting and its regular council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at the Twinsburg Government Center. Council members covered a wide range of business, from a debate over automated license plate cameras to routine capital spending and a sign ordinance rewrite. Police defend license plate camera system The longest discussion of the night centered on Resolution 2026-111, which would affirm the city's agreement with Flock Safety. Twinsburg entered a five year deal with the company in 2025 at an annual cost of $30,000. The resolution stands on its first reading and has not yet been adopted. Council member Chuck Bonacci brought a list of resident questions to Police Chief Thomas Mason, who invited Lieutenant Waltz and other officers to answer them directly. The city currently operates 14 automatic license plate readers positioned at roadways entering Twinsburg, along with two additional cameras near Route 91 and the post office and Route 82 near Sheets that do not capture data and can be viewed live by officers. Mason said the cameras capture rear plate images only and cannot identify or track people. He confirmed the city audits its own use of the system, sometimes more often than the required quarterly review, since Flock currently retains data for 30 days. Flock has announced it will shorten that retention window nationally to seven days, though Waltz said Twinsburg can request an extension to 30 days for active investigations. Detectives described a March 2025 armed carjacking at a Sheets gas station that led investigators from Twinsburg to Euclid, then to Cleveland, using partial vehicle descriptions run through the Flock network. Officers said the case was solved within 24 hours, and the man who told the victim to hand over his keys "or you're going to die" was sentenced last month to eight years in federal prison. Officers also described using the system to locate a missing man with dementia and to help other departments that do not have camera systems of their own. Law Director Matthew Vazzana noted that license plate images and data are not public records under Ohio law and said his office is reviewing a new transparency portal Flock offers before the city adopts one. Council member Shaun Castillo questioned why council is being asked to authorize a contract signed roughly 15 months ago and requested a copy of the full agreement, including its terms and conditions, which Vazzana agreed to provide. Property tax bills and city finances Council introduced Ordinance 2026-101, which accepts the tax rate certified by the Summit County Fiscal Office for 2026, payable in 2027. Total millage is 3.0 mills, expected to generate about $2.3 million, all of which goes to police and fire pension and levy funds. A companion measure, Ordinance 2026-102, authorizes the city to receive advance tax remittances from the county. Both stand on first reading. During the finance committee meeting, Finance Director Christina Conway walked council through the Summit County Fiscal Office's updated property valuation website ahead of an Aug. 27 deadline for homeowners to dispute new appraisals. Conway said the city's share of a typical property tax bill will actually drop slightly, from 4.79 percent to 4.5 percent, with 100 percent of that share supporting police and fire pension and levy funds. Conway also briefed council on the city's recent state audit, its first since a state auditor conducted the review directly in 11 years. She said the process was stressful but productive, noting minor management comments related to a vendor security report and an asset classification question, both of which she considers resolved or acceptable. Conway said the city expects a new audit firm under a five year contract before the end of the year and does not anticipate the management letter will affect eligibility for a state audit award. Capital projects move forward Council suspended the three reading rule and adopted several emergency measures tied to ongoing capital work. Ordinance 2026-103 amended this year's appropriations to pay off a note related to the Fitness Center pool building ahead of its September maturity date, and Ordinance 2026-104 authorized certain finance transactions required under Ohio law. Both passed 7 to 0. Council also approved two bond note ordinances tied to infrastructure repairs. Ordinance 2026-105 authorizes notes of up to $3.8 million for a roof and HVAC replacement at City Hall, and Ordinance 2026-106 authorizes up to $2,075,000 for HVAC work tied to the indoor pool at the Twinsburg Fitness Center. Both passed 7 to 0 as emergencies. Resolution 2026-107 accepted a $151,477 bid from Country View Construction to replace the East Idlewood Park shelter, coming in roughly half the engineer's original estimate. Council member Castillo asked whether the lower bid still covers the full scope of work and was told it does. The resolution passed 7 to 0, with work