Over the past few years, red-light cameras have become a source of debate for Tomball and Magnolia residents as well as council members in both cities.

Tomball cameras

Over the past seven years, drivers in the city of Tomball have accumulated $1.9 million in unpaid red-light camera violations. At the May 18 City Council meeting, officials discussed the effectiveness of the city’s red-light camera system. According to a report by the Tomball Police Department, officials installed three red-light cameras within city limits in May 2008. During the past seven years, 72,553 red-light violations have been captured on city cameras. Each red-light violation results in a $75 civil citation that is mailed to a vehicle owner. In the city of Magnolia, outstanding fines are collected through the scofflaw rule, which puts a hold on a driver’s annual vehicle registration renewal until the fine is paid. However, Tomball uses the Omni System for red-light camera violators, which places a hold on driver’s license renewals. Unlike annual vehicle registrations, a driver’s license can take up to six years to expire, and during that time a driver can choose to ignore a red-light camera citation without facing any immediate consequences, according to Tomball Police Chief Billy Tidwell. “It shouldn’t be a character issue as to whether you pay the violation; there should be some consequences,” Tomball City Council Member Lori Klein Quinn said. “I recommend that we use the scofflaw rule to enforce [the violations]. Once word gets out that you won’t be able to get your vehicle registration renewed, people will pay it.” The revenue the city receives from red-light cameras has steadily decreased since 2009 with the exception of a large increase in 2012, which was also the year with the most recorded violations. While overall violations have decreased since the cameras were installed, the police department report indicated there was an increase in recorded violations last year but a decrease in citation revenue received by the city. Tidwell said this is a sign that drivers are receiving citations but are choosing to ignore them. “From my perspective, [red-light cameras] are about modifying driving behavior,” Tidwell said. “If someone violates the law and there’s no consequence for that, we’ve modified nothing.” During the meeting, Tomball City Council voted to approve a study that will be carried out by the police department in the coming weeks to compare red-light camera use in Tomball with other nearby cities. The study will determine the effectiveness of using the scofflaw rule versus the Omni System. The findings are expected to be presented to the council in late June or early July.

Magnolia camera

At an April 21 public forum, City Council candidates responded to several questions from residents about the need for the city’s red-light camera at the intersection of FM 1774 and FM 1488. “If you spend much time in this town [you’ll see] people run through that intersection even with that camera there,” Magnolia City Council Member John Bramlett said. “We really need it.” Magnolia City Council Member Anne Sundquist said though she believes the policies for violations should be reviewed, the camera should stay in place. “Most of the statistics show [the cameras are] cutting down on the accidents,” she said. Magnolia Police Chief Terry Enloe said the removal of the camera could have dangerous results. “Even if it just slows drivers down and makes them stop to avoid a $75 ticket, and it makes it safer to drive the road—to me that’s a win,” Enloe said.