City ends contract for red light safety cameras
The Columbia City Council voted to seek new proposals for installing red light safety cameras at selected intersections. The city previously had a contract with LaserCraft Inc. but decided to request new proposals from other companies for the installation, execution and operation of these cameras, stated a news release from the city.
Assistant City Manager Tony St. Romaine said miscommunication between the city and LaserCraft Inc. led to the termination of the contract.
“Although we believed that LaserCraft understood our expectations, it recently became very clear that the company had some misconceptions," St. Romaine said in the news release. "The company determined it could not deliver the desired product within the budget or timeline that the city desired.”
The safety cameras are designed to deter drivers from running red lights. If a driver is caught running a red light, the photograph taken by the camera would be used as evidence in a municpal court proceeding, stated the news release.
A person found to have violated traffic ordinances would be guilty of a criminal offense.