Lake in the Hills collects nearly $800,000 in fines, thanks to red light camera

Sometimes, when you break the law in Lake in the Hills, it pays off big time - for the village.

This year, Lake in the Hills is on track to collect roughly $800,000 in fines, Assistant Finance Director Robert Miller said.

The bulk of that - $420,000 - comes from fines issued to residents through McHenry County Circuit Court, Miller said.

But for the first time, Lake in the Hills also is cashing in on a red-light camera installed late last year at Acorn Lane and Randall Road.

Officials so far have raked in $234,900 from the $100 tickets the device mails to motorists caught speeding through the intersection, Miller said.

That figure will undoubtedly be larger once officials install cameras at the intersections of Miller and Randall roads, Algonquin and Crystal Lake roads and Algonquin and Lakewood roads. Last year, before the camera made its debut, $531,269 in fine money found its way to the village coffers.

"Stay on the straight and narrow, right?," quipped Miller.

Officials initially expected to collect a total of $401,500 from all five cameras.

But it is not known when, or why the four cameras are not yet in place at the other intersections.

Officer Jim Wales, director of police and public safety, oversees the red-light camera program but could not be reached late Thursday for comment.

Meanwhile, penalties from ordinance violations and impounded vehicles round out the $779,000 total.

Although that money is a boon to the village, Village President Ed Plaza sees it another way.

"I would like to see the number go down," Plaza said. "That would mean (enforcement) is working."