Officials in Clive, Iowa are upset that the city's new red light camera system is malfunctioning and not delivering the promised stream of revenue. Already the lack of cash is putting a squeeze on the city budget.

Although most cities like Clive that employ photo enforcement give the impression that they pay a vendor a fee for providing camera equipment, the city does not actually make any monthly payments. Instead, Redflex writes a check to the city, with the first one arriving last month amounting to $3535 -- the city's share of the ticket profit. If, like now, the cameras are not generating profit Clive won't "pay" the monthly fee.

Redflex operates every aspect of the program including taking photos, deciding who is guilty and collecting payments. To date, the program has generated about $5000 from just one intersection that has proven to be profitable.

The city had expected the total amount of the two checks it has received to be $160,000 by now. After receiving the first tiny check, Clive's city manager set up a conference call with Redflex officials to complain about the lack of revenue.

"The system we use is within the camera itself," Clive Police Sergeant John Brodersen told the Des Moines Register. "That gives us a little more potential for error."