[NCRadioMan]

They were here until they couldn't keep the money.


Charlotte, North Carolina Suspends Ticket Camera Program
Red light and speed cameras turned off in Charlotte, North Carolina in wake of court ruling.

The city of Charlotte, North Carolina yesterday suspended its red light camera and speed camera program in the wake of a May 16 state appeals court decision that ruled ninety percent of photo ticket proceeds had to be directed to the state school system, and not into the city's coffers and the pockets of a private vendor.

Charlotte had been paying Peek Traffic Inc. $35 out of every $50 red light citation to operate the cameras ($39 for speeding tickets). Under the court ruling, each ticket issued would cost the city $30-34. That is a price many North Carolina cities have already said they are unwilling to pay. Charlotte joins Greensboro, Greenville and High Point in shutting down their camera program.

Here is the ruling:

North Carolina Appeals Court Rules Against Red Light Cameras
Statewide Court of Appeals ruling could mean the end of red light cameras in North Carolina.

A ruling today by the North Carolina Court of Appeals threatens red light camera programs in the state. The decision upheld two lower court rulings that had required the city of High Point to direct 90 percent of photo ticket fines to the public school system. Today's ruling expands the precedent statewide, turning money-making programs into a money-losers for the cities involved.

High Point had argued that the Article IX, section 7 of the state constitution did not apply to red light camera tickets because they imposed a "penalty" not a "fine." Judge J. Douglas McCullough swept aside the word games, writing for the court, "the fact that the violation results in a civil penalty rather than a fine for an infraction is irrelevant if we are to observe the Supreme Court's admonition to consider 'the nature of the offense committed, and not in the method employed by the municipality to collect fines for commission of the offense.