LIBERTY — An East Liberty Street business owner asked trustees to do more as he sought an answer to the littering on his property and neighboring ones.

Brian Groover, owner of Groover Roofing & Siding, presented trustees at their regular meeting Monday with pictures of debris and noted a lack of signage that could deter residents from littering.

“You have no cameras put up; you have no signs put up, you have no prosecution signs put up, you have no fines put up on those signs, jail time put up on those signs,” Groover said. “Show me one road in this township that has a sign. Logan Gate? How about getting one on Liberty Street?”

Zoning Inspector Jim Rodway explained to Groover that the township’s cleanup crew deemed Logan Gate to be their worst road in terms of trash — to which Groover expressed skepticism and asked whose professional opinion that was.

Groover said he hasn’t seen the woman who picks up the trash on their road in a year, but others said they’ve seen her around the township. Groover asked officials if there was any way the township could prosecute the violators, saying that putting up signs was one thing trustees could do.

Trustee Devon Stanley, who explained Groover’s frustration to residents in attendance, admitted that he shared it and would love for their police department to catch and prosecute the violators to set a precedent. He said they did buy a mobile camera with a trailer supplied by Blue Line Solutions, which is the company that runs the township’s speed camera program.

Stanley said there was no way to prosecute them, saying it was a different affair than catching speeders.

“Unlike the camera enforcement program with speeders, which is statutory, and allows them to do it in a civil manner, not a criminal manner. That statute allowed them to prosecute a car owner based on a license plate,” Stanley said. “When it comes to an actual criminal infraction of littering, you have to visually observe the person doing it, not just the vehicle, or the make or model or license plate.”

Stanley said the most they’ve been able to capture with multiple cameras on one trailer was an arm holding out a bag.

He explained that to be able to prosecute litterers in a similar manner to those speeding through a school zone, there would have to be a statute change at the state level via the Ohio General Assembly.

Stanley said the township also has done more than most jurisdictions, as they have someone picking up trash.

He said for police officers to enforce littering as they are now, they’d have to study the cameras to recall where the litterers live and wait for them “clandestinely” to catch them.

“But that goes against their principles of policing; they have to be observable in uniform in a marked cruiser,” Stanley added.

Stanley noted the snow covering up trash was another issue, as it would all appear after the snow melts.

“I build million dollar homes; I come down on the bottom of my hill on Park Circle and I’ve got a Jib Jab and I got hot dogs and french fries and all this (stuff) on the bottom of my hill — but you collect my taxes,” Groover said. “I’ll get my guys out there in yellow vests and I’ll clean this (stuff) up and take it off my taxes, that’s my solution.”

“It’s out of control; for me to have to come here, it’s out of control,” he added.

Charles Dunlap, another resident, suggested trustees generate a letter from the board to local state representatives.

“If they see it so prudent to enact civil penalties for speeding violations and other different things, it would be easy to enact a civil penalty for littering,” Dunlap said. “I think possibly the statewide board that the trustees all belong to would probably be a legitimate entity in which to direct that letter. It will probably create a greater effect as opposed to littering the trash can.”