Puslinch Township is sweetening the pot in hopes of stopping repeated vandalism to traffic cameras. The cameras were set up on local roads to catch drivers of heavy trucks who disobey local road restrictions. Earlier this month, Ontario Provincial Police confirmed several camera poles had been knocked down or damaged between Aug. 16 and Oct. 6 along Concession 1, Concession 2 and Concession 7. Puslinch Township Mayor James Seeley said Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington has offered a $2,000 reward in the case. He also asked council to approve an additional $8,000 from the township in hopes of spurring someone to come forward with a tip. “If you’re doing this crime, realize we’re going to pay somebody $10,000 to tell on you,” Seeley said during a council meeting on Wednesday. The motion was ultimately approved, but the reward will only be paid out if someone is charged. What was the damage cost? Seeley’s motion came as the township faces significant costs to replace the cameras. “They have done $80,000 between the damage and the replacement,” he explained while pitching his motion to council. But there were also other costs associated with the issue. The cameras are meant to deter truck drivers from going down roads that are not designed to handle heavy vehicle traffic. Those roads are now in a state of disrepair. “These roads are deteriorated at an alarming rate,” Councillor John Sepulis said during a later discussion about the heavy truck camera program. “So, instead of being a 20-year road, it might be a 15 or 12-year road. That [cost is] going to be on the taxpayer.” Seeley hopes that even if no one is charged, the potential reward might stop further vandalism. “I’m pretty sure a person with a private car is not knocking down our poles. It’s the people that get caught with their heavy trucks,” Seeley said. Co-op student to be hired Council also approved a plan to bring on a co-op student to help with some of the administrative duties related to camera enforcement. Puslinch Township’s CAO said the program has been very successful during two blitzes, but it has also added a significant workload. “The screenings and the hearings process has backlogged to the point where we wouldn’t issue anymore tickets because we wouldn’t be able to process them in a timely manner,” CAO Courtenay Hoytfox explained. The student would take on various tasks, such as checking video footage and mailing tickets to ensure the program can continue. “Because of the vandalism incurred already, we’ve chewed through all the money we’ve received through tickets,” Seeley said. “So, in order to keep the program running to do more enforcement to fund it, as the CAO mentioned, the administration portion of the two small blitzes, one day in about a four-hour window, has backlogged us.” Staff hope to have a co-op student in place in the new year.
