Despite the hopes of the interim Jefferson Parish president, an audit of the parish's contract with the company that installed stop light cameras at major intersections will not be ready for unveiling at a Jefferson Parish Council meeting Wednesday. Steve Theriot, the interim president, said earlier this month that he hoped to present the results so the council could...
Despite the hopes of the interim Jefferson Parish president, an audit of the parish's contract with the company that installed stop light cameras at major intersections will not be ready for unveiling at a Jefferson Parish Council meeting Wednesday.
Steve Theriot, the interim president, said earlier this month that he hoped to present the results so the council could decide how to proceed with the disputed and suspended camera program, but parish spokeswoman Patricia Borne said Tuesday that the council will not receive the finished study, instead hearing a progress report during a closed portion of its meeting.
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Cars approach an intersection with a red light cameraThe company, Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., is protesting the Parish Council's suspension of the red light cameras in January and threatening to sue the parish. Council members imposed the suspension amid concerns that lobbyists for the company were scheduled to receive some of its revenue from the automatically generated traffic tickets. The lobbyists and company have defended the arrangements.
The audit seeks to explain details of the lobbyists' contracts and break down how money generated by the cameras will be distributed among Redflex, the lobbyists and various public agencies.
A lawyer for Redflex last month sent Theriot a letter demanding that the parish immediately turn over the company's share of almost $20 million in fines that drivers paid over two years that the cameras operated. Parish officials have held all the money in escrow pending the results of legal challenges against the practice of using cameras to enforce traffic laws.
Company officials said none of the other jurisdictions that use their cameras have withheld money to wait for lawsuits.
