St. Peters officials move to end red-light camera contract

ST. PETERS • Mayor Len Pagano says St. Peters intends to keep its red-light cameras turned off even if the city wins a court case to overturn a countywide ban on the devices passed by voters in November.

Pagano said the Board of Aldermen is expected to approve a resolution next week seeking termination of the city’s nine-year-old contract with Arizona-based Redflex Traffic Systems to operate cameras.

“Whether it was good or bad or what, if this is what the people want, that’s what it” should be, Pagano said Monday, referring to the public vote. “The whole board is unanimous.”

Pagano said, however, that the city and other plaintiffs would on principle continue their court challenge of the voter-approved St. Charles County charter amendment banning the cameras.

They contend that the ban, which was put on the ballot by the County Council, runs counter to state laws giving municipalities exclusive control over regulation of traffic within their borders.

The cities of O’Fallon and Lake Saint Louis, which haven’t used red-light cameras, are among the other plaintiffs.

St. Peters, Pagano said, also plans to continue its involvement in a separate red-light camera case pending in the Missouri Supreme Court.

The city in September suspended using its cameras until the Supreme Court ruled on that case and one involving St. Louis’ red-light cameras. Then, in November, the countywide ban was approved by St. Charles County voters.

St. Peters aldermen on Thursday discussed asking city officials to begin negotiations with Redflex to end the contract, given the public vote against the cameras. No one on the board objected.The resolution at the same time notes that the city has had “a significant increase in red-light running” since the city stopped issuing camera-spurred tickets.

Meanwhile, City Administrator Bill Charnisky said the city is using other money to continue a transportation program for senior citizens that had been funded by red-light camera ticket revenue.