Lead-footed drivers on Arizona’s highways will soon face another expense after a plan to authorize state photo enforcement across Arizona was nestled into the state budget.
The addition, which came by way of a Senate amendment, imposes a $165 fine for traffic law violators nabbed by camera systems set up along the state’s highways.
Courts will be forbidden from sending records of photo-enforcement infractions to the Arizona Department of Transportation, which also will not be allowed to use the violations to decide whether to revoke or suspend driver licenses.
Before the session, the Governor’s Office claimed statewide photo-enforcement use would make Arizona safer for driving — and help the strapped-for-cash state by adding approximately $90 million a year to the general fund during the 2009 fiscal year, with millions more to come years after.
But estimating the exact 2009 fiscal impact is difficult, as an earlier start-up date was expected. The Department of Public Safety also has to buy photo-enforcement systems and implement them, said Napolitano spokeswoman Jeanine L’Ecuyer.
“The original thought was this would start at the beginning of the fiscal year,” she said. “That obviously isn’t going to happen.”
The amendment creates an account to deposit revenues, and all funds exceeding $250,000 each calendar quarter will be swept into the state general fund. Money also will be set aside to help the Department of Public Safety pay for photo enforcement-related expenses.
The proposal for statewide use of cameras was met with strong opposition from several Republican lawmakers this session, and the protests continue.
Lake Havasu City Sen. Ron Gould, R-3, said the effect of not informing ADOT or insurance companies of the violations proves that the motivation for statewide photo enforcement was purely financial.
“It’s just pure income,” said Gould, the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. “The money that comes from it doesn’t even go to public safety.”
L’Ecuyer disagreed and said the decision to prevent communications between courts and other entities was made to eliminate the need for time-consuming tasks and required systems that add greatly to administrative costs.
The amendment authorizing statewide photo enforcement also leaves the fines free from court surcharges to cover costs of probation, the state’s DNA Identification Fund and a variety of other efforts.
However, one noted exception exists. A 10-percent surcharge still will be applied to direct revenue to the Clean Elections Fund, which pays for Arizona’s system of publicly funded campaigns for statewide and legislative offices.
Earlier this year, Napolitano authorized the Department of Public Safety to seek bidders to add as many as 170 photo enforcement systems across the state to catch speeders and red-light runners.
Three companies responded with offers — Scottsdale-based American Traffic Solutions, RedFlex Traffic Systems and Nestor Traffic Systems — but the bids are still being considered, said department spokesman Bart Graves.