Minneapolis City Council approves contract for speed, red-light camera enforcement
The Minneapolis City Council approved a four-year contract on Thursday with NovoaGlobal, Inc. for its "speed and red-light camera enforcement system and citation issuance and management" pilot program.
City officials say the contract stipulates NovoaGlobal's fee can't exceed $12 million. The city will also be on the hook for a recovery fee in the event it cancels the contract — which goes into effect on Tuesday — without cause.
The cameras could go online as early as next month in at least five locations, though there may be 42 at one point.
"Speed kills," said Jeff Anderson, who works for Twin Cities-based Safeway Driving School.
Anderson said he's aware of the contract.
"If you're not following the rules, this is just one more thing to keep you accountable," he said.
A motorist caught on camera speeding 10 mph or more over the speed limit will first be issued a warning, but the second offense comes with a $40 fine. The ticket increases to $80 for motorists traveling more than 20 mph over the limit.
Warnings and citations go to the owner of the vehicle. Owners can challenge citations and aren't liable if they provide a sworn statement stating they were not driving the vehicle.
Motorists can avoid a second-offense ticket by taking a free traffic safety class.
"It will be a part of our discussions in our car and in the classroom," Anderson said.
Minneapolis had red light cameras back in 2005, but the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled two years later the cameras violated state law.
This time around, the city got approval from lawmakers for the pilot program. The state law says money from the citations has to go to operating the program and traffic safety programs. Money cannot be a new source of revenue.
The City of Minneapolis will announce the locations of the first five cameras on Tuesday.
The program will run through July 2029, but there's an option for the city to extend the contract for "two additional one-year terms."