FOX LAKE – Revenue from tickets issued through the newly-installed red light cameras at the intersection of Routes 12 and 134 in Fox Lake already has surpassed what the village had budgeted to receive in one year.
Cameras at the intersection were turned on April 30, and tickets were sent out to drivers who failed to stop at red lights beginning May 15.
As of Oct. 29, Fox Lake had received a total of $99,000 from the $100 tickets. The village budgeted to receive $80,000 from the cameras over 12 months, acting treasurer Walter Korpan said.
Fox Lake budgeted conservatively on the amount of money the cameras would generate, Korpan said, and it is possible the revenue stream will slow over the winter months as recreational traffic in the area diminishes. It’s also possible that the cameras will lead to drivers changing their behavior, meaning less tickets would be issued, he said.
But if the current rate continues, the cameras would bring in close to $200,000 in a 12-month period.
“We can anticipate that figure but we really don’t know,” Korpan said.
Fox Lake police Chief Michael Behan said he had no expectations for the number of violators the cameras would catch when they were installed. But he did say that the accident rate at the intersection has fallen since the cameras were put up six months ago.
“I put that up to stop the accidents, and that’s what my full intentions were,” Behan said. “It wasn’t meant for revenue. It was meant for the accidents.”
Drivers who are caught failing to stop at a red light on the cameras, which only target drivers traveling south on Route 12 and west on Route 134, are issued $100 tickets by mail.
Each potential violation is reviewed by three different employees of the Arizona-based Redflex Group before a ticket is mailed out. An officer with the Fox Lake Police Department also must sign off on each ticket and has the power to overrule any potential violation, Behan said.
Drivers can avoid receiving a ticket while turning on red as long as they come to a full stop before proceeding, he said.
“I don’t care if it’s on or after [the line]. If you stop, you won’t have a problem,” Behan said. “We’re trying to make it safe. It’s just a bad intersection.”
While the amount of money generated by the cameras may be welcomed by the village, it does not cover other shortfalls in the budget.
Fox Lake is currently owed $261,882 by the state in late income tax payments, Korpan said, and is currently about $200,000 short on what it budgeted for sales tax revenue for the year.