Kamenetz: Speed Camera Contract Not A Good Deal

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz believes speed cameras are changing driver behavior in Baltimore County but that the current lease contract could be better.

Kamenetz, speaking on the Midday with Dan Rodricks show Friday, was asked by an emailer if he thought the contract was a good deal for the county.

Patch reported last month that the county collected about $2.3 million in fines but to ACS State and Local Solutions—a company represented by a that helped push through an expansion of the program earlier this year.

"No, I don't think we have a good deal," Kamenetz said. "The problem with the contract is we pay a set amount."

Currently, the county pays about $12,000 per camera per month or about $144,000 annually for one camera. The county has paid nearly $2.2 million annually for the 15 cameras installed in school zones.

The county announced last month that it will i in front of Perry Hall High School.

Kamenetz said the county is currently negotiating a new contract that would allow the county to pay based on citations issued.

Kamenetz called the cameras "an interesting concept."

"They've never been an absolute priority for me," he said. "The prior executive (Jim Smith) is the one who went ahead with the contract and the council put a limit of 15 at the time and the ."

The county executive said the declining number of citations written since last September is an example of "behavior modification and —to reduce the number of infractions."

A quick note on the audio: It sounded a little rough when I tried to listen to it online but played just fine when downloaded.

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