YOUNGSTOWN — City council approved a new law for speed cameras ahead of them being installed in school zones, and for the board of control to pay up to $6.25 million to a contractor for a major project at 20 Federal Place.

Council approved both pieces of legislation Tuesday.

When the unmanned cameras will be installed is unknown as Blue Line Solutions, the Chattanooga, Tenn., company that is supplying them, is having supply-chain issues obtaining the equipment, police Chief Carl Davis said.

The new ordinance is largely identical to an old one that was on the books when the city police department used hand-held speed cameras almost exclusively on Interstate 680 between South Avenue and Meridian Road from August 2015 to November 2019.

The key difference is reducing the speed threshold for getting a civil citation. That was done because the speed limit for school zones when lights are flashing is 20 mph while the limit is 50 mph on the I-680 section where the cameras were previously used, Davis said.

Those going at least six mph over the speed limit and up to 14 mph over it under the new law would face a civil penalty of $100. Those going 15 to 20 mph over the limit would face a $125 penalty and those traveling faster than 20 mph over the limit face a $150 penalty. They would not get points on their driving record for the civil citations.

The previous law was civil penalties of $100 for driving at least 11 mph over the speed limit, $125 for 12 to 19 mph over the limit and $150 for those driving at least 20 mph over the limit.

The city would get 65 percent of the money collected from speed citations, with Blue Line receiving the other 35 percent.

Because of restrictions in state law, the city would only be able to use money collected from the unmanned cameras in school zones for school safety resources, such as improvements to the zones and crosswalks near those buildings.

The cameras are planned for 16 school zones.

Work on the poles for the cameras began two weeks ago. Also needed is proper signage around the school zones.

Also Wednesday, council voted to have the board of control hire a contractor for up to $6.25 million for the remediation and partial demolition of 20 Federal Place, a downtown building owned by the city.

The city will seek proposals for the work early next month, award a contract at the beginning of the year with the job starting in the middle to the end of January, said Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works.

The money for the work is coming from a $6,962,250 Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program grant the city received. The grant specifies that the demolition and remediation work must be finished by June 30, 2023.

A long-term overhaul of the 332,000-square-foot building at 20 W. Federal St. is estimated to cost $74 million.

More than $30 million in state and federal tax credits are being sought to help fund the project.

The work includes restoring the building’s three entrances, demolishing the three-story mezzanine on West Commerce Street, a basement parking lot, food businesses on the first floor, three large offices on the second floor and 154 housing units on the third to eighth floors.

The city purchased the building in November 2004 after Phar-Mor, a national retail store company, went out of business. The property was the Phar-Mor Centre, the company’s corporate headquarters. Before that, it was the flagship location of Strouss’ department store for decades, closing in 1986.