Leon Valley could be last city in state with red-light cameras
Leon Valley is poised to become the last city in Texas with red-light cameras. That is, if state lawmakers again fail to pass bills that would void a contract with the city’s photo-enforcement company.
“It’s not the brand that Leon Valley wants to put out there, and we need help from Austin to purge this stain from our city,” said Jed Hefner, a city councilman from Leon Valley.
Rep. Philip Cortez and Sen. José Menéndez, both Democrats from San Antonio, have filed identical bills in the Texas House and Senate that hope to resolve years of frustration in Leon Valley over a previous administration’s decision to extend the use of red-light cameras before a deadline set by lawmakers when they outlawed them in 2019.
Although the cameras were under fire, Leon Valley and Balcones Heights extended their contracts with Arizona firm American Traffic Solutions in 2019. Balcones Heights initially extended its contract until 2034, but due to a clerical error, the extension never made it through, and the program will expire next year. Leon Valley’s red-light camera program will expire in 2039.
Leon Valley’s contract with American Traffic Solutions was written in such a way that there was no way to exit the contract without prior termination. Such a move would cost the city millions.
Of the other cities that had red-light camera contracts, Amarillo’s expired last year, and Humble’s contract will expire in 2024.
In response to opponents, lawmakers over the years have stripped virtually all the penalties for not paying the $75 redlight-camera violations. Failure to pay cannot be reported to a credit agency; it has no effect on renewing a vehicle or driver’s li
cense; and it cannot land the person in civil court.
But motorists who run lights in places like Leon Valley and Balcones Heights still get a ticket in the mail, and that’s causing confusion, Cortez said.
“Now we have residents only in Bexar County where there’s this confusion among residents who get something in the mail demanding them to pay this violation that is no longer allowed under state law,” Cortez said.
The cameras were initially pitched in Leon Valley as a boon for public safety that would reduce crashes and improve traffic flow, specifically on Bandera Road, one of the worst corridors in Bexar County.
Leon Valley council members who were instrumental in the extension of its contract have since been voted out or recalled.
Also gone are the city manager and police chief who backed using the cameras.
Now the cameras are unpopular among residents, Hefner said.
“Our citizens don’t want them,” Hefner said. “Getting rid of them is the right thing to do for our city.”
Mayor Chris Riley said the City Council is unanimous in its desire to rid Leon Valley of red-light cameras.
“The general consensus is red-light cameras are unfair because the system gives tickets that police officers would not give,” Riley said.
But red-light cameras have been lucrative for Leon Valley. Public records show that the city’s 14 cameras posted at 10 intersections around the city have generated almost $7 million since they were put in place in 2018.
The cameras are expected to bring in $1.8 million this year, according to Leon Valley’s latest budget. The cameras have generated $632,237 in late fees since fiscal year 2017-18, records show.
A previous iteration of Cortez’s bill died last session. Cortez said he is “cautiously optimistic” this time around.
“The political will is there,” Cortez said. “When you have support of the local elected leadership and that of businesses saying, ‘Please help us,’ that’s a pretty strong indicator that this bill should pass.”
Leon Valley elected officials say they’re more organized and energized this time around.
Last month, Leon Valley City Council unanimously passed a resolution stating its intent to phase out or remove red-light cameras if Cortez’s bill passes. Leon Valley officials also are drafting a letter to state lawmakers in support of the bills.
“The biggest hurdle we have to overcome is that we’re one small city in the great state of Texas,” Hefner said. “Our city really is the only one in the entire state that is in this situation. And so does that rise to the level of getting our senators and representatives in Austin to take action? I hope it is.”