HomeMy WebLinkAboutRed light ballot wording debated
Continued.from Al R6a 1116ght
Power outages.
"My point is that if the sa White said Monday's meet-
it's a referendum and they mg will be the first step for
they the city in getting the issue on
approve it as a referendum the ballot. The City Council
ot and we vote to remove a refer- will verify a report from the
endum on red light cameras, city, secretary that the e
man anyone can assert the tion was valid and listen to
city charter wasn't followed residents who ma s-
in this," he said. "They're try- Y peak dur
ing a public hearing.
• ing to set this up so they can City Secretar
take it to a vote, and if the y Connie
1
O~ lose the vote, that anyone has over thelpetit on wtht846 tuiln
sig-
the legal standing to chal- natures from registered
9 lenge the vote. Basically, they College Station voters, which
can take their cake and eat it constitute 25 percent of the r
too." number of residents who f
Mayor Ben White said city voted in the last city election
debated officials disagree with Ash's
interpretation of the wording in May -a requirement to
? and that he trusts in the get on the ballot.
advice of city attorneys, s. City Manager Glenn Brown
By CAssm SMITH White said if an error is dis- Kand As City
athy sscould not bekre ched
cassie.smith@theeagle.com covered it can be fixed before for comment late Sunday.
Aug. 27, which is when the Ash, who lost his appeal of a
A description relating to how the red light City Council will make a deci $75
camera issue will appear on the November sion on whether to send the ticket r received in
ballot has a College station resident leading issue of red light cameras to turn without st pping, rhas
efforts to dump the the voters Nov. 3. VAU program over con- 0f bu The city recently voted to called the appeals
process
cerns about its extend its contract by 20 years no unconstitutional since there is
legality. College Station City with Opportunity for a jury Traffic jury trial.
An item on Mon-
Council meeting Solutions, the company that the councilewill continuehto
day's City Council •7 p.m. Monday runs the
agenda describes City Hall Council program. Officials use the word "repeal," when
said in June that more than the goal of the petition is to
efforts demanded Chambers, 1101 18,300 citations had been have the red light cameras be
in the petition as Texas Ave. issued for violations caught declared unenforceable.
repealing the law, on cameras and that the ci
but Jim Ash law, Who started the petition has collected more than case and that city attorneys
drive - said that wasn't their intention. He $906,000 in fines since startint
said they wanted to create a law against the early last year. Nine red li h are the authority on law.
city using the revenue generator and that cameras are at seven inter sec- effortse we go to, eto bntrrans-
the city isn't reading their petition correct- tions in the city. g
ly Per state law, mone c parent is unbelievable,"
A referendum, according to the city's lected from red light camera White said. Ash said if the council
charter, would have been legal if done with- t ckand safety be used for traf approves the agenda item the
in 20 days after the law was enacted, but it improvements. way it is Monday, he'll file
took effect in early 2008. Officials have said the city is court documents to try and
using its 'portion to invest in have a judge decide what the
See CAMERAS, Page AS traffic lights and battery petition wording means and
backup systems that keep sig- how that translates to the bal-.
nals operational during lot.