Background/Discussion
The Red Light Photo Enforcement Program began in 2005 and is set to expire July 13, 2021 since all available contract extensions have been exercised by the City Council.
The Red Light Photo Enforcement Program is a joint effort between the Council Bluffs Police, Public Works, Finance, and Legal departments.
The primary goal of this program is to reduce the number of broadside (t-bone) collisions by imposing a fine on vehicles caught running red lights therefore deterring users from running red lights. A secondary benefit of this program is the revenue provided through ticketing vehicles caught running red lights. The average annual net revenue generated from these tickets over the past five years has been approximately $600,000.
The contract guarantees at least a net neutral revenue position for the City and includes no upfront costs to the City. The only financial obligations to the City are monthly electrical service billings and employee time in processing violations-as is currently the case. Any traffic studies required for proposed new sites will be the expense of the vendor.
A tertiary goal of this project is to capitalize on improvements in hardware and software in the industry. All existing hardware will be removed and replaced.
The Vendor was selected based on the ability to provide the necessary services. Requests for Proposal were made available on the City’s Ion Wave platform. Two submittals were received and each was reviewed and individually scored by the selection team with the following members: Matt Cox (PW), Graham Jura (Legal), Cpt. Greg Schultz (PD), Traci Walker (Legal), and Andy Wicks (PW). The evaluation criteria included team qualifications (15%); past experience on similar projects (30%); reference checks (10%), project approach and understanding (20%); and proposed fee schedule (25%). Verra Mobility was selected as the most qualified vendor for this particular project. The other firm that submitted a proposal was Redflex, Inc. who was recently purchased by Verra Mobility.