Cedar Rapids is considering whether to appeal a ruling by an Iowa judge in a lawsuit over highway speed cameras. It affirms the Iowa Department of Transportation’s right to order the removal of some cameras.
Mayor Ron Corbett says attorneys are taking a few days to review the judge's ruling.
"The Cedar Rapids City Council will probably decide at their next council meeting whether we want to join Des Moines and Muscatine and appeal the case," Corbett says.
Cedar Rapids takes in more revenue from traffic cameras than any other city in the state.
But Corbett says the city kept that money out of its budget in case the legislature decided to outlaw traffic cameras.
"If they ultimately have to be turned off, then it’s not going to affect our property taxes, we’re not going to have to cut budgets, because we already took that money out of our budget," Corbett says.
Cedar Rapids was expecting $4.7 million in traffic camera revenue for the next fiscal year.
The cameras in question are on I-380. Corbett says they have improved safety on a problematic curve in the highway.
