College Station's red light cameras have snapped their last photo.
The city's nine cameras were turned off Tuesday. City Manager Glenn Brown said photo enforcement of red light violations at the intersections ended at midnight Monday after the City Council unanimously voted to end the contract with the cameras' Arizona-based operator.
Brown said that does not mean there is an ordinance banning the use of red light cameras.
College Station residents voted Nov. 3 to end the camera program, but the election's validity was challenged in court.
"The Council authorized me to enter into a settlement agreement with [American Traffic Solutions] to turn off the cameras immediately," he said in an e-mail. "Due to the election question, there currently is no ordinance to repeal. However, if the judge decides that the election was invalid, I plan to place an item on the next possible meeting agenda to repeal the ordinance that originally authorized red light cameras."
Brown said the city will likely have to pay $4,750 a month per camera through mid-January to ATS due to the cancellation. The total -- between $60,000 and $70,000 -- will be paid with red light camera revenues.
On top of those expenses, the city is paying Austin attorney Bob Heath $250 per hour to defend the lawsuit filed by two College Station residents who claimed the election violated the city charter.
Visiting District Judge Suzanne Stovall did not issue an opinion on the matter at a hearing last week but ordered the sides to try to find a resolution.
"The case is ongoing, and Mr. Heath continues to defend the city's position in court. We will not know how much in total until we are billed," Brown said.
American Traffic Solutions has said it could take up to
60 days to have the cameras removed, but Brown said it would likely happen sooner. Signs alerting drivers to the cameras have already being taken down, Brown said.
Jim Ash, the leading critic of the cameras who led the petition drive to get the measure on the ballot, said Tuesday that he's elated the cameras have finally been turned off.
He called his challenge of the cameras a memorable experience but said it was too bad that more people don't stand up for what they believe is right.
"I'm really saddened that it takes this kind of heartache and trouble for citizens to become active," he said.
The city authorized photo enforcement of red light violations in 2007, and installed four cameras in 2008 and five in 2009.
"The city has acted in the interest of the voters to uphold the November 3 election results," Brown said. "It's unfortunate that the resolution of this issue has taken this long, but the will of the voters is being carried out and the cameras have been turned off."
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