As Vienna Township remains under fiscal emergency, leaders in the community are continuing to brainstorm ways to boost the town out of a financial deficit. 

One idea that will soon come to fruition starting this week is speed cameras.

However, residents continue to push back on the idea, claiming there must be other ways to fundraise for the community. Some community members said the township could collect funds through the Youngstown Air Reserve Station. One audience member even suggested a feasibility study to ensure the township is doing all they can to raise funds. 

Vienna Trustees believe speed cameras can earn the township anywhere from $40k-$100k a month.

They say it's an idea that they're willing to try, as more than $1 million township dollars are still unaccounted for.

"If vehicles are spotted for excessive speed, it automatically generates the citation with Blue Line. Blue Line sends them to us," Trustee Phil Pegg told 21 News. "Starting Tuesday, we will have one officer out with the speed camera. We want the residents to give us some time to see if this works. This will help reduce speeding in the township as well."

Drivers violating the speed limit will start being ticketed on September 5, with fines ranging from $125 to $250 per ticket.

Pegg told 21 News Niles-Vienna Road is a hot spot for speeders, "people are using that as a back way into the mall and we see speeding."

"We've been working to follow all the guidelines the state has put in place," Pegg added. "Permits for signs for both the State of Ohio, ODOT, and Trumbull County."

Vienna trustees told the public a total of two cameras will be used in five primary locations around the township, including Niles-Vienna Road. The speed radars will only operate during daylight hours. The cameras came at no expense to the township. Trustees believe money collected from citations would be in the township's account within 30 days of payment. 

The township has been under fiscal emergency for close to a month. A state audit found the fire department more than $1.2 million dollars in debt following massive overtime payouts. It was revealed that money was wrongfully appropriated from other departments. It is still unclear if any money was stolen.

Trustees appointed residents Cindy Johnson and Sean Stimac to the governor's fiscal commission after four residents applied for the role, to create a broader plan to pull the township from financial distress.

"The commission is probably one of the most important things to help the township move forward and get out of fiscal emergency as soon as we can," explained Johnson. 

"The financial commission reviews what the township comes up with as a plan to repay our debts," Pegg explained.

The financial commission is made up of seven members: including one trustee, Mike Haddle, two resident representatives, one representative from the Governor's office, one representative from the accounting office, and someone from the budget office in Columbus. 

"The trustees and our commission must create a plan and send that to the commission," Pegg explained. "We have 120 days to get our plan to them and they can accept or decline it. At that point, we would have another 30 days if issues arise. That keeps going until there is another plan in place."

"The money is gone so that means everything has to be on the table," Johnson said. "We could implement levies and we have no fire department. Everything needs to be on the table."

The current fiscal officer believes all state audit findings won't be revealed until 2025.