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Effort to ban red-light cameras from smaller suburbs moves to full House

A plan to eliminate red-light cameras throughout the suburbs is changing, and state Rep. David McSweeney, a Barrington Hills Republican, won preliminary approval to banish the eyes in the sky from smaller towns.

An Illinois House committee voted to ban the cameras in communities that don't have so-called home-rule powers, usually towns with fewer than 25,000 people. Previously, he had called to abolish all Illinois traffic cameras.

McSweeney said some of the places that have cameras that would be taken away under his compromise plan are Roselle, Villa Park, Westmont, Winfield, Deer Park, Fox Lake, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Wauconda and Fox River Grove.

The Illinois Municipal League opposed the plan, arguing it should be up to local officials, not the state, whether the cameras are right for their communities.

The plan was moved to the Illinois House floor by a narrow 4-3 vote, with state Rep. Marty Moylan, a Des Plaines Democrat, joining all of the panel's Republicans in voting for it.

“Many Illinois residents rightly perceive these cameras as more about increasing revenue for local governments than actually keeping motorists safe,” McSweeney said.

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