County funds permanent coordinator for automated speed enforcement after seven months of operation

Bernalillo County commissioners on March 11 approved a budget increase and the creation of a permanent program coordinator position for the county’s automated speed enforcement program, voting 5-0 to move the program out of temporary staffing and into a recurring staffed role.

Deputy County Manager Edea Sarchelet updated the commission on program operations and finances. She said the speed-enforcement ordinance was adopted Feb. 21, 2023; the program went live in August 2024 with a 30-day warning period and began issuing citations on Sept. 25, 2024. Staff reported six fixed camera installations on county roads and one on a state road, with three more county installations expected in the next months plus a mobile camera and additional mobile capability.

Financials and staffing: Sarchelet said the county initially provided $825,000 in general-fund support; $569,000 of that had been spent and the program had generated $985,939 in net revenues to date. Under state law, 50% of net revenues after operating costs must be paid to the state; the county retains the remaining 50% and will use it for traffic-safety projects under the county ordinance. Staff proposed a permanent program coordinator position with estimated salary and benefits of $110,074; commissioners approved the budget increase and the position, with staff saying the recurring cost will be covered by program revenues.

Program outcomes and placement rules: Staff and commissioners described placement criteria used to locate cameras: locations are selected by speed studies and by reference to a high-fatality/injury network maintained by regional planning bodies. For speed-hump projects, staff described a public petition requirement (signatures from 50% of impacted residents) plus speed-study thresholds (85th-percentile speeds and a typical five-mph threshold above limit for residential areas). Sarchelet said placement decisions also consider crash severity data provided through the Council of Governments and prior requests submitted by commissioners’ offices.

Performance metrics: Staff presented payment and issuance figures: 17,540 citations had been paid to date. Staff estimated about 40% payment compliance, yielding an estimated ~34,000 citations issued overall; monthly paid citations climbed from roughly 3,800 up to about 5,000 and then decreased to about 3,400 in February, staff said. Commissioners reported anecdotal reductions in speeds at several camera locations and discussed the program’s ability to rotate mobile cameras to other high-speed corridors.

Equity and outreach concerns: Commissioners raised equity and concentration concerns. The sheriff’s office was reported to have asked to review camera locations; staff said selection used crash and severity data and that many initial county camera placements were in areas south of I-40, including Coors Boulevard locations, while mobile units can be moved to address geographic balance. Commissioners asked staff to continue coordination with the sheriff’s office, produce one-year trend data, and prioritize backlog requests for lighting and traffic-calming projects funded by the program.

The motion to approve the budget increase and a permanent program coordinator passed 5-0. Staff said they will return with one-year trend reports and continue to administer placements, operations, vendor coordination, and revenue accounting.