Pima County supervisors approve photo radar contract
by B. William Poole on Jan. 07, 2009, under Local, SpecialCameras coming to 10 intersections; also will be in vans
Pima County supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday in favor of a one-year trial of radar speed enforcement cameras.
Republicans Ray Carroll of District 4 and Ann Day of District 1 voted against the $1.5 million contract with American Traffic Solutions Inc. of Scottsdale, which provides cameras for the city of Tucson.
Day objected to the contract being on the consent agenda, which allows no discussion during the meeting. She also objected to the issue coming to a vote with no presentation from the Sheriff’s Department, which will manage the program.
The item was removed from the consent agenda so it could be discussed.
Carroll and Day objected to using the program to raise revenue, to which Board Chairman Richard Elías, a Democrat, objected.
After Carroll agreed with two speakers who called the cameras a violation of drivers’ rights, Democrat Supervisor Ramón Valadez bristled. He said has seen speeders in his district, and he thinks the roads would be safer with the radar cameras.
“Our families, our children – don’t they have a right to be safe?” he asked.
The county began looking into the program about a year ago by analyzing road sensor data on speeding. Cameras, which would click photos of speeding cars after clocking them on radar, would be at places where speeding is common, said Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.
The contract calls for up to 10 fixed cameras and 10 in vans to be placed at the county’s discretion, with operation to begin when the cameras are in place. A date for starting the program hasn’t been determined.
The first seven days of operation would be a grace period during which the cameras would yield only warnings. Cost of a ticket after that will be a minimum of $201.
Locations under consideration for fixed cameras under the proposed pilot program are:
• Swan Road near Calle Barril
• 5200 block of North Kolb
• 5700 block of North Campbell
• First Avenue near Agave
• 1200 block of East Ina
• 1800 block of West Ina
• La Cholla near Sunset
• Alvernon near Station Master
• Valencia near Wilmot
• Sahuarita Road near Harrison
The photo system also would be capable of capturing violations of the state’s new ban on plate covers that obscure the word “Arizona” at the top of the license plate. That law went into effect Jan. 1 and carries a fine of up to $130 per violation.
In other action:
• Supervisors renewed Huckelberry’s contract for four years at $230,000 per year.
Huckelberry, who has been county administrator since 1993, will get a county car, annual contributions to a state retirement account and paid leave to serve on public or professional boards.
The contract, which only Carroll voted against, requires the county to give Huckelberry half his salary plus half of the cash value of accumulated sick and vacation time as severance if he is fired without cause or asked to resign.
• Supervisors also passed two resolutions calling on state and federal agencies to deny permits for a gravel quarry in Davidson Canyon east of Tucson.
The California Portland Cement Co. plan for the gravel operation has been vehemently and unanimously opposed by the supervisors.
The first resolution asks the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deny a Clean Water Act Section 404 Permit for a road across the canyon. The second calls for the director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to block a required stormwater discharge permit.
