Citrus Heights renews red‑light camera contract with Verra Mobility for three years

The Citrus Heights City Council voted to authorize a three‑year agreement with Verra Mobility to operate the city's red‑light photo enforcement program, with options for two additional one‑year renewals.

Chief Alex Turcotte presented the proposal and said the city's program began in 2008 and currently covers 10 approaches across eight intersections. He told council that in the most recent reporting period the vendor sent about 19,000 events to staff and the city issued roughly 17,000 notices; about 11,000 of those were right‑turn violations. "Only 17% of the violators were Citrus Heights residents," Turcotte said, a point he said reflects that many violators were passing through the city.

Turcotte said the proposed contract has a fixed monthly fee per intersection and an estimated total annual cost of about $521,000; the program is structured to be cost‑neutral to the general fund, and the city can withhold payment to the vendor in months where revenue does not cover costs. He described the program's review process: vendor staff forward candidate events, then city personnel review footage and issue notices only after human review.

Councilmember Dr. Gina asked about privacy and enforcement mechanics; the chief said passenger images are blurred in notices, vehicles without front plates can still be cited in many cases, and staff conduct limited investigations when driver identity is unclear. He also summarized pending state legislation (SB 720) that would change administrative models in some jurisdictions but said Citrus Heights is "grandfathered" under current rules for its existing program.

Councilmember Schaeffer moved to adopt the resolution authorizing the city manager to execute the agreement; the motion passed after a second.

The action keeps the city's automated enforcement program in place while the city monitors regional policy changes and local performance metrics.