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City okays photo cops’ for red lights
“This action was suggested by our Traffic Safety Task Force,” explained Mayor Lane Gilchrist to the Council, “and recommended by staff. Its sole purpose is to improve safety on our streets.” P h o t o g r a p h i c enforcement of traffic light rules is not new, according to City Manager Buz Eddy. “The system we are employing from Traffic Pax Company is working successfully in the suburbs around Dallas and Houston. The tickets are issued automatically as a civil infraction, captured electronically. No points are added to the driver’s license.” Though photographic enforcement has been a controversial issue nationwide, the proposed ordinance provoked little concern at the public hearings. Three of the five intersections in the city which have traffic control signals are immediately adjacent to public schools and see extremely high traffic flows. Nearly 3,000 students are transported through these intersections daily.. According to the Attorney General’s Office, the use of unmanned cameras to record violations is not precluded by law, “and represents an innovated approach to detect and deter the dangerous conditions created by drivers who disobey traffic signals.” Nationwide, studies have revealed red light traffic violations as the number one cause of urban motor vehicle collisions, and that penalizing the owner of a vehicle for violations has proven extremely effective at reducing red light violations and traffic accidents. “We’ve always been on the forefront of safety, and we are willing to employ this system at no cost to the city to help enforce traffic rules at our intersections,” Eddy says. According to City Attorney Matt Dannheisser, “If Traffic Pax moves as expeditiously as possible, we can have this system up and running within about six to eight weeks.” New townhouse complex approved A16-unit townhouse complex was approved for the waterfront area behind the Post Office, after council approved amending the zoning district for five parcels from Commercial to Residential Condominium and four parcels were rezoned from Single Family Residential to Residential Condominium. The 4.34 acre project also required that the Comprehensive Plan of the city be amended. The project was originally proposed by Foret Builders, Inc. to the council in February and was conceptually approved at that time. Full refund sought for Hurricane Dennis expenses Council members approved requesting 100 percent reimbursement from FEMA in accordance with the Stafford Act legislation which affords full reimbursement for entities enduring two major disasters in a twelve month period. Hurricane Ivan related eligible expenses were already slated for 100 percent reimbursement due to the severity of the storm. Council grants Mayor Loan Pool authority A resolution to authorize the mayor to enter into swap or hedge agreements passed during the council meeting after protracted discussions during the Executive Committee Meeting. Loan Pool manager Ed Gray explained the need for additional investment tools to ensure a better return from Loan Pool reserve funds. “I am suggesting that we entertain some alternatives,” Gray explained at the Executive Committee meeting. “If we have the opportunity to do it with a counterpart who is highly rated, we ask the council to entertain it.” Council member Beverly Zimmern asked if the inherent risks were to principal or interest rate only, and Gray assured the council that the principal was protected. “This tool is not without risk,” he told the council. “It does offer a greater return. As rates’ margins have fallen, our returns have diminished 38 basis points. Worldwide, so many financial institutions are hedging against inflation, and a popular instrument is a swap.” According to Gray, the city was approached regarding an interest rate swap to gain increased yield for accounts. A 10-year history of swaps studied revealed higher returns than the Loan Pool is currently receiving and iIncreased returns can help the city offer more attractive loan rates and increase loan volume. “I am comfortable acting on this where Lane (Gilchrist) is involved,” explained Zimmern. “This sets precedent for the future. Can we make this resolution specific to this one instance? We must answer for the greater good.” \ Gray assured that Mayor Gilchrist was already defined as administrator of the Loan Pool and stated that the resolution only granted him another vehicle for investment. Council member Ford recommended a sunset to the powers to protect the 85 Plan management into the future. Council approved the resolution with the caveat that the powers granted would sunset with Gilchrist’s term as Mayor, and accepted Gray’s suggested third-party review of the deal. |
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