Red-Light Camera in Balcones Heights
SB1119, authored by State Senator John Carona (R) that passed both chambers awaiting the Governor's signature is a transportation bill that will cap the amount of fine ($75) a city can assess for violators who run a red light in their city.
According to the bill the city has to certify that the traffic signals actually make the roads safer...and have to fork over basically all of the cash to the state...except for the money it takes to run them.
Currently the City of Balcones Heights assesses a fine of $148 that authorizes the vendor to keep $40 while turning over $108 to the City for each collected violation. The bill goes into effect September 1st.
There are also new requirements for signage. Also...American Traffic Solutions (ATS) out of Scotsdale, Arizona, the vendors who installed the cameras in Balcones Heights are prohibited from turning over records of non-payers to credit reporting agencies. Since the ticket is civil and not criminal, there is no effective tool to require people to actually pay the fines.
Under a criminal statute, an officer issues a citation that can lead to suspension of license, increase in insurance premiums and possible arrest for failure to pay the ticket. Under the civil statute, none of that applies.
According to former Balcones Heights Councilman Steve Walker, the lone dissenting vote, "it appears that my concerns over a lack of a mechanism to enforce the statute is shared by the legislatrure."
To date over 2-thousand violations have been issued since the installation of the red-light cameras with no up to date record as to how many violators have actually paid the fine.
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