Sugar Land drivers who can’t put down their phones could be hit with hefty fines after the city council on Tuesday approved an ordinance calling for penalties of up to $500 for drivers caught with a phone or wireless device in hand.

The ordinance approved Tuesday by a 5-2 vote requires those devices be mounted to the interior of a vehicle and be set to handsfree or Bluetooth mode to be operated in compliance with the new ordinance.

Tuesday’s vote was the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of work and research by Sugar Land police personnel, with Assistant Police Chief Scott Schultz leading development of the ordinance.

At previous council meetings, Schultz presented members with the results of community surveys in which a majority of respondents voted in favor of restricting the use of phones and devices.

Before the vote, council members debated whether the ordinance would make roads safer.

“I’m concerned this will just be a feel good thing,” Council Member Amy Mitchell said before voting against the ordinance.

The council also discussed legislation that has been introduced in the state legislature that, if approved, would restrict the use of phones behind the wheel statewide.

“We’ve been waiting for the state to do this since 2011,” Council Member Harish Jajoo said, referring to prior attempts by lawmakers to institute statewide restrictions that failed to become law. “I don’t expect anything different in 2017 either,” he said.

At the start of the meeting, Sugar Land resident Curtiss Grant asked the council to vote down the ordinance.

“Technology is overtaking us and we have to learn to live with it,” Grant said to the council. “I’m not against regulating safety. I think this is working more from an emotional standpoint.”

Council members Mitchell and Joyce voted against the ordinance.