Article from: www.thenewspaper.com/news/06/661.asp
9/20/2005
Chicago: More Red Light Cameras Needed to Balance the Budget
Additional red light cameras are part of the plan to close the budget deficit in Chicago, Illinois.
With the city of Chicago facing a $104 million budget deficit, Mayor Richard M. Daley's budget proposal includes a plan to boost revenue by $2 million through the installation of additional red light cameras. The existing set of twenty cameras has already generated than $18 million in tickets for the city since they were installed in 2003.
Australian camera vendor Redflex operates the photo ticket program on behalf of the Chicago Department of Revenue. A number of embarrassing errors have plagued the windy city's camera program, with several innocent motorists forced to spend more than the cost of a ticket to prove their innocence.
The mayor's budget proposal also included a package of $37.7 million in tax hikes on items ranging from parking to cigarettes and FedEx and UPS deliveries. Just last year, the city raised taxes by $109 million.
Article Excerpt:"Everything they do is aimed at chasing business out of Chicago. It's like we have a building boom, and all the steps they take are to kill the building boom," said Ald. Bernard Stone (50th). Ald. Brian Doherty (41st) added, "People are going to be in an uproar if they're hit with higher taxes in light of all of the corruption that has transpired."
Source: Daley planning more taxes, fees (Chicago Sun-Times, 9/18/2005)
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