Where's All That Camera Money?
Good news - Rahm's "Red Light Safety Cameras" have done their job!
Bad News - Rahm's budget is suddenly short $50 million:
Bad News - Rahm's budget is suddenly short $50 million:
- Chicagoans are costing the city tens of millions of dollars -– through good behavior.
You heard that right: Good behavior is bad for the budget. Real bad, reports CBS 2 [...]
[...] CBS 2 has learned the speed cameras caught far fewer speeders than expected.
[...] How much lower? Fifty million dollars lower. Emanuel’s administration had figured on $90 million in fines to help balance this year’s budget, but they can only count on $40 million. That’s a $50 million shortfall, putting pressure on the next spending plan.
We've pointed this out in the past - why is the city (any city?) allowed to base budgets on "projected" revenue? They have some magical insight into unforeseen weather disasters? downturns in the economy?
Punitive fines influence behavior. $100 fines influence behavior a lot faster than something less. And here's taxpayers holding the bag for Rahm's unrealistic expectations. because they advanced their own economic interests by slowing down and obeying the law.
Punitive fines influence behavior. $100 fines influence behavior a lot faster than something less. And here's taxpayers holding the bag for Rahm's unrealistic expectations. because they advanced their own economic interests by slowing down and obeying the law.
Labels: money questions
posted by SCC at 12:05 AM
71 Comments:
And avoiding streets with cameras. I dodge them everyday because I don't trust them. And the fail safe way to avoid them is to pack up and move all together. Far away!
Good for the Citizens, good for Police Officers and good for fewer accidents.....when folks slow down life is better...saves on gas, too. Shame on Rahm...where are his values?? Budgets on projections!!! Oh boy, pretty stupid. He'd better save the $350,000 he plans to reinvest into the Chicago Fire Fizzle next year and keep it for a rainy day.
Our mayor is a stupid asshole!
Chicagoans are costing the City revenue? Uh, NO.
There was no 'revenue' before cameras were installed.
The cameras are only there to ensure traffic doesn't move too fast.
Therefore, it only stands to reason the cameras absolutely should not be considered as a source of present or future revenue, because the cameras should be making themselves obsolete.
No speeding = no need for cameras. No speeding = no anticipation of exorbitant fines.
Don't blame me. I just got popped by a speed camera and am light $100. My own fault but it won't happen again.
I must be old school - we called that "forecasting" not "budgeting."
Morons.
--No Cop Here
famous last words:
rahms plan for (fill in the blank) has fallen short.
"Good news - Rahm's "Red Light Safety Cameras" have done their job! Bad News - Rahm's budget is suddenly short $50 million: Chicagoans are costing the city tens of millions of dollars -– through good behavior."
Actually, that amount is more like $58 million. That's IF Tiny Dancer decides to refund the nearly $8 million in ill-gotten gains bilked from an unsuspecting 77,000 motorists. How's that, you say?
Slate.com ran a story just the other day titled "Chicago Quietly Allows .1 Second Shorter Yellow Lights, Makes $8M Off 77,000 New Tickets". It references the Chicago Tribune's "investigation" that recently revealed just one facet of the crooked-ass Chicago political cabal.
The Emanuel Administration directed the new company responsible for the contract (Xerox) to accept red light camera violations for incidents with yellow light times above 2.9 seconds, one-tenth of a second less than the minimum under Redflex.
The best part of the article is - ONCE CAUGHT WITH HIS DIGITALLY-CHALLENGED HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR - Tiny Dancer told the Trib the city went back to three-second yellow lights “because trust is the most important” thing. The article also says that the Mayor is 'still mulling refunding the ticketed drivers'.
Rahm says "trust" is the most important thing, but just try not to get too upset when he doesn't refund the money for 77,000 Red Light Camera Cases he put on people.
This again calls for a hearty "FUCK YOU, RAHM"!, you pathetic manling. Let this be yet another nail in your political coffin, you rotten motherfucker.
off topic but anyone think its strange that the detective who was just fired on friday for taking a pic with a prisoner on the ground with finnegan years ago just had the pic turned over by the feds to the department just last spring??? The last person to get sentenced was in 2011 and the feds said "case closed". Jerry was sentenced in april of 11. why did the feds just turn over the picture to the department in 2013??? Well, Ill tell ya why... Because the feds are still looking into the SOS stuff thats why and are obviously still reviewing evidence etc. Im gonna guess if anything civil rights charges on some.. No statute of limitations on that you know... Im not a conspiracy theory type of guy but why hand over a picture in 2013 for an incident that happened sometime between 1998 and 2003 if the case was "closed" in 2011.. thats a huge question mark..
Easy fix - cut Aldermen down to 25. Want to help the pension fund? Cut Aldermen down to 20.
Less government is better government.
Come on. where ya going? Hey one more round and then we'll all go k?
Obama Golfs For 4 Hours, 40 Minutes On Saturday, Then Holds Nighttime Ebola Meeting--Which New Ebola Czar Skips!
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/10/18/Obama-Golfs-For-4-Hours-40-Minutes-On-Saturday-Then-Holds-Nighttime-Ebola-Meeting-Which-New-Ebola-Czar-Skips
sneaky feds strike again with SOS? said...
off topic but anyone think its strange that the detective who was just fired on friday for taking a pic with a prisoner on the ground with finnegan years ago just had the pic turned over by the feds to the department just last spring??? The last person to get sentenced was in 2011 and the feds said "case closed". Jerry was sentenced in april of 11. why did the feds just turn over the picture to the department in 2013??? Well, Ill tell ya why... Because the feds are still looking into the SOS stuff thats why and are obviously still reviewing evidence etc. Im gonna guess if anything civil rights charges on some.. No statute of limitations on that you know... Im not a conspiracy theory type of guy but why hand over a picture in 2013 for an incident that happened sometime between 1998 and 2003 if the case was "closed" in 2011.. thats a huge question mark.. Are you a freaking idiot ? Why even attempt analyze why the feds handed over this photo after so many years. This individual, while a member of SOS, was probably guilty of other wrong doings also so I don't feel any pity for him. This ass hole should've been fired sooner. It's to bad that this photo hadn't come out sooner but better late than never. Maybe they should investigate you also.
Is Fieoretti really running for Mayor or was he just a shill to split the anti-Rahm vote.
He could make a lot of political hay with this story. He could say that if he were to become Mayor he would make put Chicago Traffic on a computer grid system that would move traffic along quickly and safely with drivers seeing minimal red lights on their commutes.
Why do you allow your elected officials to install speed cameras?
sneaky feds strike again with SOS? said...
off topic but anyone think its strange that the detective who was just fired on friday for taking a pic with a prisoner on the ground with finnegan years ago just had the pic turned over by the feds to the department just last spring??? The last person to get sentenced was in 2011 and the feds said "case closed". Jerry was sentenced in april of 11. why did the feds just turn over the picture to the department in 2013??? Well, Ill tell ya why... Because the feds are still looking into the SOS stuff thats why and are obviously still reviewing evidence etc. Im gonna guess if anything civil rights charges on some.. No statute of limitations on that you know... Im not a conspiracy theory type of guy but why hand over a picture in 2013 for an incident that happened sometime between 1998 and 2003 if the case was "closed" in 2011.. thats a huge question mark.. Is he related to Lt. McDermott in 002?
The Mayors a goof!
Remember:
WEED TICKETS(its legal now!)
Chicago fire festival(Does not know how to start fire!)
Closing down districts
Closing down AREAs
Closing schools
Safe passage (paying parent to watch their own kids)
Taste (does not make money)
Bike lane in major streets causing congestion
Tell me a ballerina who chops off his own figuring making a sandwich at ARBYS is some kind of special.
And he beat us in contract talks...
This is why I moved out of state as soon as I retired. Those speed cameras were nothing more than an all out assault upon the citizens of Chicago by the very same government that is SUPPOSED to serve the citizens. We all knew of course that the City was lieing from the very beginning when they said the cameras were " for the children" but now we find out they were stacking the deck against us even more. Despicable!
Rahm will find a way to tweak the lights.
Our mayor is a stupid asshole!
Welcome to the blog Mrs Emanuel!
It's the political culture in this country. Spend what you don't have, lie to get elected, let the next generation worry about it. Times up, we are the next generation and we can't cover the tab. Politicians borrow $$$ they have no intention of paying back. It was designed as a Ponzi scheme from the day FDR drew it up. Johnson doubled down and Obama broke the bank. Municipal, Federal, there all the same.
Quit building shit and save some money. Notice the rusty fences daley and crooked contractors installed in that massive fleecing of city funds.
The country is being destroyed from within, and the current Ebola virus "crises" is yet another one that is not being wasted as an opportunity. Read "rules for radicals" by saul alinsky. This communist POS was a mentor and architect for both this president and hillary.
In a real sense, this grand social experiment (from the 60's to the last 6 years) is a virus set upon the country, one that could very easily kill the host organism . . . .
The Democrats stole the money and used it for flower pots and for parks named after their wives, instead of funding the Pensions!
I also use Trapster on my I-Phone, to let me know where these thieving City machines are located!
No money for Rahm and here is hoping that he loses his next election!
Enough bitchin about the President...we all know a bad day of golf is better than a good day at work!
Having to screw over the citizens to base your budget on is truly disgusting. A new low for Chicago liberal politicians.
Did he really think once motorists began getting $100 tickets for running red lights, they were going to continue to run them.
Politicians aren't too smart when it comes to revenue projections. They did the same for bottled water. You get it on sale for $2.50, but the Chicago tax is 10 cents a bottle. Now it cost $5.00for a $2.50 case if you buy it in Chicago. So guess what happened. People went to the suburbs to save the additional Chicago sales tax. Duh,I wonder why that happened and the sale of bottled water decreased in Chicago. Not to mention the lost tax revenue from the other sales tax the city loses when people shop in the suburbs.
Who could have seen that coming?
A news report mention that the city figured that every time they reduced the yellow light by a 10th of a second they would make an estimated 8 million dollars. It's all about public safety. I blame the 50 alderman who don't even debate these issues, all they do is look for new and better ways to milk the cow.
Im not a conspiracy theory type of guy but why hand over a picture in 2013 for an incident that happened sometime between 1998 and 2003 if the case was "closed" in 2011.. thats a huge question mark..
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Also from this case. It must be nice to have a former superintendent testify on your behalf at the police board and have a current alderman plead his case to the current superintendent. Now that is a major clout baby.
If they put a speed camera between headquaters and starbucks on 35th they would catch numerous full duty officers speeding to get a cup of coffee however no violations on the way back....
First of all, bad drivers, the jobless and drunk, are generally flying around in $300 death traps that aren't licensed, insured or registered to a valid address.
No penalty. No fine. No traffic court. Nothing.
Just another Democrat vote.
Rahm doesn't get mad. He gets even.
All you taxpayers going to and from work or school everyday, be prepared to PAY UP after you re-elect him.
OT: COMMANDER PENA 010 on a ten day suspension for harrassing a PO
Maybe Mayor 'flash cash' could get some timely advice from 'money man madigan.'.'
A "green" or "yellow" traffic control signal can digitally have its color changed to red in order to create evidence of a "red light" violation.
Also, the video'd position of your vehicle can also be digitally moved to a position that creates a red light violation. Now pay up suckers!
That's the sound of 9.5 telling taxpayers, "You're right, but screw you anyway"
Rahm can just write a check out of his personal account to make up for the shortfall.
Of course people don't want to get caught in the "camera scam" because we all know it has nothing to do with safety. But in typical scumbag chicago politician fashion they predict they will take in more $$$$ than what will actually happen and they probably will spend it before they got it. It's the democrat way.
Between Maggie Daley Park, The Bloomingdale Trail, the Navy Pier Flyover and the 31st pedestrian bridge. Thats almost90 million right there. Just off the top of my head.
This is like the TIF scam -- TIF money is a loan, with "projected increases in revenue after TIF-loan-funded improvements boost businesses and create more taxable cash flow" as collateral.
Works great -- blocks and blocks of "FOR LEASE" empty storefronts with new facades and with new sidewalks and trees and banners and "street art" in front of them.
Start ticketing bicycylists who break traffic law
If it was truly about safety, there should be zero in the budget and it should be considered "found money" and put in a rainy day fund.
If Rahm decides to do the right thing and give the 77,000 people their money back, would RedFlex and Xerox give their fees back? Didn't think so
Only a fool would take a Red Light Camera selfie twice.
Rahm announced that he is changing the red light cameras to 1 second yellow. That will fix the problem.
Econ 101
Let me get this straight. The asshole Mayor deliberately "adjusts" the yellow lights to below the allowable and regulation 3- second minimum standard adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, putting untold and numerous lives at risk, all in the name of revenue, er- oops! I mean "safety- for the children", and the stupid fucker still has a shortfall in revenue? Someone at the Federal building needs to take a closer look at Rahm. At least you'd think the boys at the Chicago Tribune or NBC news would pick up on this story.
Don't you worry...
Rahm will have his wisenheimer propeller-heads come up with a fitting means of punishment for the churls daring to resist and avoid one of his revenue extraction schemes.
Shame on you all!
It's "for the children..." Therefore you should be willing to contribute without grumbling or complaining.
Why... You all are starting to act like those greedy underworked and overcompensated cops.
"Officer! I demand to know how you have enough time to stand in line waiting for a take-out order when you should be on patrol somewhere? It makes me angry to see MY tax dollars being wasted like this!"
Or something like that?
>Pffffft!<
The hubris, arrogance, chutzpah and overweening sense of entitlement of the Chicago corporate sponsored government and media propagandist classes has fatally poisoned anything resembling cooperative civic spirit.
Yes... Chicago is broken and irredeemably toxic...
Viva Hate.
Every man according to his own conscience and what he thinks will allow him to stand before his GOD (or not) in the end.
Right?
Really... It's all for the children...
Standard line for political despots and power-drunk maniacs of all stripes throughout the 20th century.
They say that while willingly exposing children who aren't THEIRS to much death and destruction for the furtherance of an agenda...
Rahm al-Ghoul has the Devil's luck in that the media here is energetically devoted to looking the other way.
Watch for more revenue "extraction" as Rahm & Co. scramble to make up this shortfall.
Never you mind that $2 Billion in TIF funds and probably another couple Billion hidden in the other sets of municipal books. Money that Rahm desperately wants to give to his money manager friends along with muni employee pension money.
The "projected" (Snicker! ;^) kick-backs makes stealing from muni employees a good thing in Rahm's eyes.
"It's for the children."
Hmmm... Just some idle Sunday afternoon thoughts from a wild-assed, old, brutal, racist, insensitive, non-empathetic, conservative -Shudder!-, heavy-fisted, high school drop-out, overcomped and underworked Chicago Blue Suit...
Rahm's spinners will have a totally different take on it.
If this hasn't already been posted it should be, great article
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2012/Gangs-and-Politicians-An-Unholy-Alliance/
What??? Come on people step up!!! You should be running these red lights "for the children" . Snark!!!
Anonymous said...
sneaky feds strike again with SOS? said...
What a crock of shit this was !!
As I, watched the news, and read this blog, it appeared 100 guys were going away for 20 years..
What a crock of shit this was !!
So let's review: red light and speed cameras fall short of expectations because even the stupid voters that put Rahm in office learn to slow down once burned.
We now have speed cameras slowing traffic down below the limit because no one knows what "when children are present" really means. Now the angry drivers drive faster in other areas to make up for lost time. Of course we don't have enough police officers to write tickets. Yep, it's all a win here. Traffic messed up and the children are MUCH safer.
Any moron that had anything to do with this should be fired.
(OT) what would you do as a Chicago copper and this moron does this?
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/10/18/watch-what-happens-when-a-citizen-pulls-over-an-unmarked-cop-car-and-tells-the-police-officer-hes-breaking-the-law/
Keep bitching, your fuckhead mayor will make up the difference in the loss by new taxes, you silly, silly, hard working, law abiding, tax paying fools.
Let me get this straight. The asshole Mayor deliberately "adjusts" the yellow lights to below the allowable and regulation 3- second minimum standard adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, putting untold and numerous lives at risk, all in the name of revenue, er- oops! I mean "safety- for the children", and the stupid fucker still has a shortfall in revenue? Someone at the Federal building needs to take a closer look at Rahm. At least you'd think the boys at the Chicago Tribune or NBC news would pick up on this story.
Tribune,Times andNBC all have had the story. Media picked up on it, probably where you found out.
Just hope that the Sos bosses go down and the drunk empty bottle lt who covered for the clowns in the court system...
Leave Rahm alone. He's really Richie with a mask. Everyone loves the Daleys; right?
Bringing in 50,000 uneducated, illiterate illegals from mexico/central america should also help make up the funding shortfalls.
We're told they're good for the economy, so it must be so.
If the mayor's driver would just pay his red light & speeding fines?
While his motorcade proceeds through red lights speeding and whatever else his little princess desires,hypocrite,terrible leader,no example set,one term please...is enough!
Anonymous said...
How about making the academy a bid unit. They should set some clearly defined qualifications to get assigned to the academy. When I went through the academy, a couple of years ago, we were getting 3 hour lunches, 1 hour breaks, close to no instruction when class was in session. I know I was getting paid but I did not learn anything. I am on the street now and I am paying the price for all of those breaks; they were not worth it.
10/18/2014 11:14:00 PM
You sound like a complete idiot. The only truthful part of your comment was that you didn't learn anything.
3 hour lunches, no instruction. Do you really think anyone is going to believe that. Remember,they also went thru the academy.
No, I don't work at the academy,but I went thru it along with every other po. No one I know or talked to shares your experiences of 3 hour lunches. I feel cheated that I missed out on all this.
10/19/2014 10:04:00 AM
_________
I agree. That person is making stuff up. I do not work in the academy. That means that I am not biased towards the academy. I am a Marine. Also, I had the pleasure of going through a program at the West Point Academy. After those two rigorous experiences, I went through the Chicago Police academy. The Marine's boot camp and West Point do not have a thing on the Chicago Police Academy. The Chicago Police Academy is top notch. The Chicago Police Academy was more challenging than the other programs because the instructors are highly educated and very smart; it was a mental boot camp. There were no three hour lunches at the Chicago Police Academy. There were no extended lunches or excess breaks because the schedule was tighter than West Point's schedule.
I had the pleasure of going through a program at the West Point Academy. After those two rigorous experiences, I went through the Chicago Police academy. The Marine's boot camp and West Point do not have a thing on the Chicago Police Academy. The Chicago Police Academy is top notch.
Seriously? Top notch?
What kind of bullshit is this? I went through the academy back in the early 1990's and the hardest part was simply to get hired. To be more specific, if you were a M/2 then you really had to stand out from the crowd because back then it was all about diversity.
Once you got into the academy, it was pretty hard to get dumped. They provide much help for those that asked for it.
Better than West Point? God I hope not because if that were true this country would really be screwed.
I use Waze. It's an app that shows the speed cameras and also there is the COBRA app as well which are both free on Google Playstore.
(Final line)..." There were no extended lunches or excess breaks because the schedule was tighter than West Point's schedule."
10/19/2014 11:57:00 PM
Start counting the # of people that actually believe the entire post above and will respond to this attempt to goat the weak with this sarcasm.
'Hit it, sweetheart!'
Quit talking about Rahm!
We all know if he wants to be mayor of this city for 20 years he will!
The Democrats will vote for him because they are dependent on the handouts.
CPD won't bother voting because they are dependent on their retro.
I agree. That person is making stuff up. I do not work in the academy. That means that I am not biased towards the academy. I am a Marine. Also, I had the pleasure of going through a program at the West Point Academy. After those two rigorous experiences, I went through the Chicago Police academy. The Marine's boot camp and West Point do not have a thing on the Chicago Police Academy. The Chicago Police Academy is top notch. The Chicago Police Academy was more challenging than the other programs because the instructors are highly educated and very smart; it was a mental boot camp. There were no three hour lunches at the Chicago Police Academy. There were no extended lunches or excess breaks because the schedule was tighter than West Point's schedule.
What! Report to drug testing
Anonymous said...
How about making the academy a bid unit. They should set some clearly defined qualifications to get assigned to the academy. When I went through the academy, a couple of years ago, we were getting 3 hour lunches, 1 hour breaks, close to no instruction when class was in session. I know I was getting paid but I did not learn anything. I am on the street now and I am paying the price for all of those breaks; they were not worth it.
10/18/2014 11:14:00 PM
You sound like a complete idiot. The only truthful part of your comment was that you didn't learn anything.
3 hour lunches, no instruction. Do you really think anyone is going to believe that. Remember,they also went thru the academy.
No, I don't work at the academy,but I went thru it along with every other po. No one I know or talked to shares your experiences of 3 hour lunches. I feel cheated that I missed out on all this.
10/19/2014 10:04:00 AM
___________________________
I went through the academy a few years ago as well. And I had similar experiences. Many times, I was pretty sure that the recruits were teaching the instructors. That place needs to be cleaned out and staffed with competent instructors and not with people who are barely able to read the power point slides. You sound like you are covering up for what goes on in the academy.
10/20/2014 11:01:00 AM
Did he really think once motorists began getting $100 tickets for running red lights, they were going to continue to run them.
10/19/2014 09:39:00 AM
Ask the F/2 copper in my district who gets about 2 a week. Some never get the message.
Red light cameras are deliberately used on mis-engineered intersections. There isn't much people can do except re-route. RLC cameras take advantage of a situation beyond a driver's control. The driver can change the situation by altering approach speed and other techniques to diminish the dilemma zone, but that requires knowing how the RLC scam works. Yet the dilemma zone doesn't appear entirely. Between all these this is where the modest decrease in red light running comes from with an RLC. Just lengthening the yellow signal dramatically reduces red light running BTW, much better than cameras.
Speed cameras however are based on mismatches between road design and posted speed limits. People can actually alter behavior to avoid being nailed once they know where the cameras are. It's a matter of just resisting the urge to speed up where the road is naturally faster.
Ask the F/2 copper in my district who gets about 2 a week. Some never get the message.
In her personal car or the squad car (in non-emergency situations)?
Start ticketing bicycylists who break traffic law
10/19/2014 11:46:00 AM
Man, if people started doing this, you'd make so much money that you could close the deficit gap.
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