WELLINGTON COUNTY – Automated speed enforcement cameras continue to bring in more than the county budgeted for.
According to county treasurer Ken DeHart, the County of Wellington received a total of $4 million in automated speed enforcement (ASE) fine payments as of the end of March, of which the county took home $1.5 million. The cameras started operation Jan. 15.
The figure works out to just under $52,000 in daily fines issued by the county's five cameras. The figure does not include cameras in Guelph.
The county is responsible for a small cost for transaction processing.
In the program's first month and a half, there were $1,178,979 gross fine payments, with the county's portion being $442,239.
This means the county receives approximately 37 per cent of the ASE-generated revenue, although the exact split with ASE vendor Global Traffic Group remains confidential.
The county previously estimated it would receive $1 million in revenue for the entire year.
County staff have suggested that the ASE revenue be allocated to the Roads Capital Reserve to fund future work and projects in the roads budget. An ASE Revenue Usage Policy will come to county council for approval later this week.
Currently, there are five speed cameras in operation, one each in Fergus, Aberfoyle, Palmerston, Mount Forest and Drayton. Cameras in Hillsburgh and Rockwood are expected to be live by the end of April.
While considered a pilot program, 10 additional ASE locations are being investigated across the county and are proposed to be implemented this September.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
