Millions in red-light camera profits sit idle

Texas cities have collected at least $40 million from red-light camera citations in the past two years, with Houston leading the way, but the portion intended to help cash-strapped regional trauma centers still is not being spent.That is because the Legislature, which passed a 2007 law requiring cities to share profits with the state, has not formally approved transferring the money to the hospitals.
To spend the camera money, which totals about $9 million so far, lawmakers this session must include specific language 3D camerain the biennial budget plan being drafted.“We need to get the money out to these centers,” said state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, whose 2007 law required cities to share their profits. “We promised the public that the money would be for regional trauma care, and, to me, there is no excuse for that money going any place else.” The Senate version of the biennial state spending bill, which is being printed, does not include language for the red-light camera funds. The provision could be added in later negotiations before being enacted into law.
The $9 million collected so far — much of it from Houston — is a fraction of the state’s biennial budget. But trauma centers across the state need all funding available, said John Hawkins, vice president for governmental relations for the Texas Hospital Association.
He said that especially is true at facilities like Ben Taub General Hospital, which has seen increased traffic since Hurricane Ike damaged operations at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
“All of the money collected ought to be appropriated,” he said. “There’s real need out there.” It remains unclear how the money, if allocated, would be spent. City officials said they would prefer the money be distributed using a formula proportionate to what regions collect. Houston, for example, sent the state $3.7 million — about 40 percent of the total.
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