Red Light Camera critic guest on Chris Duel Show

L-R: Balcones Heights Mayor Jim Craven & former Balcones Heights Councilman Steve Walker

Statics on how many motorists who have paid fines for running red lights in Balcones Heights in the past few months is being questioned by a former city councilman who disputes the numbers Mayor Jim Craven is releasing.

According to the Mayor's numbers supplied KENS-5 Reporter Ross Palombo in an interview in front of the Balcones Heights Justice Center, Wednesday, August 1st, less than 10 violators have failed to pay the fines who are in arrears over 30 days. American Traffic Solutions (ATS) out of Scotsdale, Arizona, installed the video cameras, maintain them, issue the actual citation for the city and collect the $148 dollar fine.

Palombo requested the Mayor release the number of citations issued and number of fines collected. The Mayor declined on camera and later Palombo filed a request for the information under the Public Information Act.

Former Councilman Steve Walker, the lone councilman at the time to vote against the installation of the cameras in September, 2006, challenges the numbers. Walker pointed out in an interview with Palombo and later on the Chris Duel Show on 550 KTSA that approximately 3-thousand citations have been issued since the installation of the cameras at four intersections in the local suburb and "there is no way they have all been collected."

The four intersections include: Hillcrest & Babcock Road, Hillcrest & Fredericksburg Road at the entrance of Crossroads Mall, Fredericksburg Road & Crossroads Boulevard, & Fredericksburg Road & Balcones Heights Boulevard.

Walker told Duel, "when I left the Council in May there were nearly 1800 citations. In my last official meeting I specifically asked the Police Chief how many violations were cited and how many of the fines had been collected. We were given the numbers cited, but not the statistics on who paid the fines."

Effective September 1st, a state law signed by Governor Rick Perry in June goes into effect that would cap the fine at $75 per violation, and mandates that the city split the revenue generated from the violation with the state.