Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Oak Harbor village council members, following a third reading, passed ordinance 15-2025 at its latest meeting on Dec. 1, which creates a civil, photo-based enforcement tool for speeding violations in school zones.
A village speed study conducted during the first week of the 2024-25 school year recorded more than 1,000 drivers traveling at least 10 mph over the limit during school-zone hours (7:15 a.m. to 8:05 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.).
As part of the village’s comprehensive planning, a Safe Routes to School (SRS) study also identified State Route 163 and Benton Street near Oak Harbor High School as a significant barrier to students walking to school.
“I think the idea that kids should be able to walk to school safely is nearly universal in Oak Harbor,” mayor Quinton Babcock said. “With help from an ODOT grant, we conducted a comprehensive study of how to make walking to school safer in Oak Harbor, and speeding is a major barrier. While I don’t think many people are a fan of speed cameras, I know that all residents agree that traveling 10 miles over the speed limit in an active school zone is inexcusable.”
The ordinance is part of a broader Safe Routes to School strategy which focuses on engineering, education, encouragement, and enforcement. The village has applied for additional SRS funding to expand pedestrian infrastructure and improve connectivity near Oak Harbor High School, making walking routes safer and more comfortable.
The community’s School Travel Plan also highlighted safety challenges near the high school and along SR 163, citing both excessive speeds and sidewalk gaps as key obstacles for families.
Though the ordinance authorizes use of photo enforcement in all posted school zones, the only site currently under consideration is the Oak Harbor High School area along SR 163, where families and the SRS study identified the most significant pedestrian-safety issues. The SR 163/Benton/Oak area in particular experiences heavy traffic, higher speeds, and incomplete sidewalks.
With the ordinance’s adoption, photo-monitoring will operate only in clearly marked school-zone locations and only during designated active school-zone hours. Violations will be treated as civil matters and will not result in BMV points or entries on a driving record.
Registered vehicle owners will receive a mailed notice with images and clear options to pay, identify another responsible party, or contest the citation in Ottawa County Municipal Court.
Other business
Council passed a pair of resolutions following third readings.
In addition to the traffic cameras, council also passed two more ordinances following third readings, including one permitting the village to discontinue utility service to properties outside the village, and another adopting a job creation grant program for the village.
Council then had second readings of three ordinances revising sections of the codified ordinances to establish rates for sewers, storm drainage, and water.
A second reading of a resolution in support of applying for grant funding from the Ottawa Sandusky Seneca Joint Solid Waste District for fiscal year 2026 was then read, followed by another second reading of a resolution authorizing the village administrator to apply for the Coastal Management Assistance Grant for the Portage River Local Coastal Management and Access Plan.
Lastly, council passed another resolution via emergency following a first reading, which authorizes the village administrator to apply for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Innovation, Recycle Ohio Grant Program Source Reduction Grant 2026. It is for the installation of water fountains, including at the dog park.
