Hoffman Estates' red-light cameras here by spring

Eight months after the village board approved the plan, Hoffman Estates officials say red light cameras could come to six intersections by the spring.

Officials in February said the cameras would be installed by the end of the summer. Hoffman Estates Police Chief Clinton Herdegen said Monday night the village is waiting for permits from the Illinois Department of Transportation, as some of the intersections fall under the state's jurisdiction. Hoffman Estates is among the first communities needing IDOT approval for the cameras' installation, and Herdegen said that application process is new, taking more time than anticipated. At this point the village believes approval could take 60 to 90 days.

Other factors may affect installation, too. "Weather could become an issue because the standards have to go into the concrete," Herdegen said.

The cameras, designed to catch motorists speeding through red lights, would be installed at Golf Road and Route 59, Golf and Barrington roads, Golf Road and Gannon Drive, Higgins and Barrington roads, Higgins Road and Gannon Drive, and Higgins and Roselle roads.

Red light tickets are like parking tickets; the owner of the vehicle is liable and not necessarily the driver. Herdegen said violators would have a chance to see video footage of the alleged violations on the Internet.

Fines were set at $100, rising to $200 if left unpaid after 30 days. Village officials in February estimated the cameras would generate more than $300,000 per year. Even though the cameras aren't yet in place, on Monday the village board voted on how to spend a portion of the money.

By a 6-1 vote, the board approved spending $128,222 for an electronic ticketing system so police and other officials wouldn't have to manually enter the citations into a database.

Police and volunteers from the citizens police academy take up that task now, which sometimes leads to errors into the database, Herdegen said. This would allow the village to reassign officers to other tasks, boosting efficiency, Village Manager James Norris said.

Trustee Ray Kincaid cast the sole vote against. Though he supported the concept, he said the village shouldn't spent the money with the economy souring.

"It's something we can come back to," Kincaid said.