Red Light Cameras in Balcones Heights are reality

L-R: Copy of the violation received in the mail, intersection fo Babcock Road & Hillcrest, KENS-5 Reporter Jessica Silva, KENS-5 Photographer, KENS-5 Photographer & Reporter, KENS-5 van, red light camera on Babcock Road, red-light camera warning

Now that the red light cameras in Balcones Heights are official, running a red light in the 1-square mile suburb will net you a $148 dollar citation.

Video from the cameras are currently transmitted to the American Traffic Solutions (ATS) headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona. From there ATS forwards the information to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for verification of ownership and mailing address and then forwards the video to the city for final judgement. That time frame is supposedly four days.

Once the police department approve the violation, it goes back to ATS and they send a citation that gives the violator 30 days to pay unless the motorist challenges it within 15 days. That process also takes four days.

Once the citation is in the mail the clock starts ticking on payment of the fine. If the motorist chooses to ignore the ticket, it is then turned over to an in-house collection agency. If the collection agency is unable to collect the fine it is then turned over to the Balcones Heights City Attorney to file in Justice of the Peace Court to obtain a judgement from the JP.

ATS then contacts the companies that issue credit reports and requests that the credit report reflect the failure to pay. The City of Balcones Heights receives its $108 dollars from the fine from ATS.

Balcones Heights does not receive any revenue from a citation until it is paid.

The Texas Legislature has a number of bills filed this session that would affect the citations. One bill by State Senator John Corona would split half the revenue from the ticket with the City of Balcones Heights. The State would place the funds into a State-wide safety fund, while another bill filed by State Rep. Jake Islett would outlaw the practice of installing red lights all together.

The debate rages over whether the installation is for safety reasons or for generating revenue for the city.