Photo Red Light Enforcement
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
May 9,2000
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Photo Red Light Enforcement
Police Chief John Mauss is recommending approval of a letter of agreement with
the Iowa Department of Transportation which provides for them to provide
$74,500 for Photo Red Light Enforcement equipment to be installed in Dubuque.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/dd
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Tim Moerman, Assistant City Manager
John Mauss, Police Chief
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CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
May 8, 2000
TO
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
John J. Mauss ~
Chief of Pol iCy
Photo Red Light Enforcement
FROM
SUBJECT
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memo is to recommend approval of an agreement letter with
the Iowa DOT which provides for them to provide $74,500 for Photo Red Light
Enforcement Equipment to be installed in Dubuque.
BACKGROUND
On December 20, 1999, I advised you that IDOT had verbally approved giving
the City of Dubuque $100,000 to acquire equipment to do red traffic light
enforcement in the City. Since that time rDOT has spent some of that money
for research on the problem of red light running. The research is not yet
completed.
An RFP committee has been researching the availability and usage of photo
enforcement equipment, and has drafted an RFP which would be issued for
purchase of equipment. The committee includes:
Tim Moerman, Assistant City Manager
Alan Burr, ECIA
Bill Blum, City Solicitor
Merrill Crawford, CATV Administrator
Gary Jorgensen, Engineering
Greg Kuhl, Street Department
Corporal Mike Rettenmeier, Officer Shane O'Brien, and myself from the
Police Department
IDOT had asked that no equipment be purchased until after the end of the 2000
legislative session because of the possibility of legislation which would
prohibit use of such equipment. Legislation was proposed, but failed to make
it out of the legislative committee of assignment. They also requested that no
actual enforcement be done until the research on red light violations in Iowa
has been completed.
DISCUSSION
The RFP Committee has decided that equipment for consideration should be
digital photo or digital video equipment, which would allow photos of red
light violators to be transmitted from the selected intersection to the Law
Enforcement Center or some other location for review and issuance of citations.
Under current State and City traffic laws, the photos would have to include
the driver of the vehicle in order for a citation to be filed. All of the
locations using photo enforcement which we have contacted have either a City
Ordinance or State Law which allows a civil violation citation to be issued to
the owner of a vehicle based on a photo of the license number of a violating
vehicle. The offense does not go on the driver license record of the person
cited, but does result in a fine. The owner can avoid the fine by showing
that the vehicle was being driven by another identifiable person, or that the
vehicle had been stolen at the time of the violation.
I anticipate a future recommendation to the City Council for adoption of a City
Ordinance which would allow a civil citation against the owner for violations.
There is no commitment for such an ordinance in the agreement recommended by
this memo, however.
The agreement simply provides that we will document Illessons learned",
including a description of the system purchased, vendor performance, ease of
operation, public acceptance, and concerns with use of the system. We would
also agree to share the information with other Iowa communities which would be
considering purchase of such equipment.
RECOMMENDATION
I recommend approval of the attached letter of agreement.
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
May 9, 2000
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Work Session on 5th, 6th and 7th Streets
Due to the scheduling of the May 15, 2000 vote on the Town Clock Plaza project,
the work session to discuss the design concepts for 5th, 6th and 7th Streets
scheduled for May 15 at 5:30 p.m. has been canceled.
I respectfully request that the work session be rescheduled for June 5, 2000 at
5:30 p.m. in the Library Auditorium.
fYIJJ~ fYhL
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/dd
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Tim Moerman, Assistant City Manager
Mike Koch, Public Works Director
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