Poland Village Council members are considering an ordinance that would generate revenue for the village by adapting Ohio’s new texting and driving law into a local ordinance. 

During Tuesday night’s council meeting, members will discuss establishing an ordinance that will allow the village to keep money from fines paid by drivers who were cited for texting and driving in the village, instead of that money going to the state. 

When Ohio passed it’s texting and driving ban in April, it included language that allows for municipalities to pass local ordinances that are “substantially equivalent”, or the same, as the state law. 

This means that any political subdivision of the state like cities and villages are able to adopt this ordinance and keep money earned through fines given to drivers for texting and driving in their communities. 

When an officers tickets a driver, they can cite them for violating the local ordinance instead of of the state law, and the money would stay in the local community instead of going to the state. 

While Poland Village council members will discuss passing a local ordinance Tuesday evening, other areas around the Valley were unaware that their communities could be generating revenue through this new law. 

21 News reached out to several local governments to ask if they knew about this option, or if they were planning to implement it, but most were unaware that they could benefit from the state law. 

Struther’s Mayor Cat Miller says that the city was unaware of the option, but now that they are aware they plan to bring it to council.