Having solved all of its other problems....

[George K]

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot wants to issue speed camera tickets for cars 6 mph over the limit

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who campaigned on a pledge to end Chicago's "addiction" to fines and fees, is counting on a big increase in city collections from speeding tickets and other violations to balance her 2021 budget.

And she wants part of the boost to the bottom line to come from speed cameras across Chicago issuing speeding tickets to drivers caught going as little as 6 miles per hour over the posted limit.

Under the mayor's proposal, as part of her 2021 budget package, anyone caught by a camera driving from 6 to 9 mph above would get a warning. Getting caught on camera a second time would prompt a $35 ticket in the mail.

Currently, only those caught driving 10 mph above the limit get the $35 tickets. Tickets of $100 are issued to drivers caught speeding by 11 mph or more above the posted limit. The city has the authority to issue the tickets at lower speeds, but has never used it.

According to budget documents released this week as the mayor unveiled her spending proposal for next year, the city expects to bring in $381.5 million in 2021 from fines, forfeitures and penalties. That's about $38 million more than Lightfoot's administration projected for 2020.

[jon-nyc]

Mario Cuomo once said “you campaign in poetry but govern in prose.”