Media Credit: Jacqueline Walker Lee Leffingwell, left, Jennifer Kim and Mike Martinez, all Austin City Council members, speak at City Hall Tuesday morning about putting cameras in the traffics lights in Austin.

Austin City Council members will vote Thursday whether to develop plans to install red-light cameras at city intersections.

"There has been a significant number of auto collisions caused by running red lights," said Councilwoman Jennifer Kim, who is spearheading the campaign. "I'm in support of the installation of cameras at certain intersections."

Councilmen Lee Leffingwell and Mike Martinez also support the measure.

"It's about public safety," Martinez said.

Seven of Austin's 35 traffic fatalities this year involved running a red light, according to the Austin Police Department. In 2005, police recorded three fatal collisions related to red-light violations.

Last month, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott ruled that the Texas Department of Transportation can grant local authorities permission to install cameras along state highways. The ruling clarified a 2003 law, which allows civil offenses for running red lights.

"It was just fortuitous that the attorney general opinion came out to make it clear that the city has a right to do this for public safety," Kim said.

A growing number of Texas cities are using traffic cameras to fine vehicle owners for running red lights. Houston, Garland, Irving, Plano and Richardson all have contracts with private camera vendors to issue tickets and fines.

"Most red light infractions are voluntary," Leffingwell said. "If you don't want to pay the fine, don't run the red light."

The civil fine for running a red light in Houston is $75, compared to $223 if the citation is issued by a police officer.

Citations issued by private camera vendors are mailed to the owner of the vehicle with the red light violation. The citation includes a picture of the owner's license plate and the fine amount along with steps to appeal the ticket.

Red-light camera opponents are against the civil fines issued by private vendors, calling them "unconstitutional."

"This violates the 14th Amendment because it's an unequal application of the law," said Debbie Russell, spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union. "You're not even allowed to face your accuser."

With privatization of civil fines, there's a move toward further privatization and less involvement of city officials, Russell said. "The profit initiative is another motive," she said. "It's a cash cow for the cities to collect money."

One of the camera vendors the city of Austin reviewed allows vehicle owners to appeal their citations online with an affidavit, Kim said.

"There are so many contractors out there with this business," Leffingwell said. "I'm looking for the approval of one that has zero up-front costs."

The city's role in red light cameras will probably be limited to awarding the contract, auditing the vendor and changing the settings on traffic cameras, he said.

City Council members are looking at Houston as an example since it has already conducted various tests with different camera vendors.

"We're looking at that for not reinventing the wheel," Kim said.

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