Residents press Forest Heights council over stop‑sign camera tickets and payment rules

Hundreds of automated citations issued during a pilot stop‑sign camera program drew sharp criticism from residents at the Forest Heights town council meeting on March 18.

Multiple speakers told the council the hardware or enforcement settings are producing unfair tickets and creating safety hazards. “I stop always, and the tickets I am getting are too fast,” resident Francisco Bolanos said, urging the town to adjust camera timing and detection thresholds. Marilyn Barnes said camera video makes vehicles appear to move at “warp speed” and asked why the town no longer accepts personal checks for fines, saying the current payment options (cashier’s check, money order, or online payment) add cost for some residents.

Mayor Lilly said the council conducted two pilot studies before full deployment — an initial one‑intersection pilot and a larger pilot across 11 intersections — and that vendor data show as many as 3,800 violations across those 11 sites. The mayor said the town completed a 30‑day review with the vendor and will request that team return to present citation videos and the data behind the enforcement settings so the council and residents can review them together.

“ We are going to have that team come back and present to the town council and to the residents,” the mayor said, adding staff is developing a consistent policy describing what constitutes a violation and how citations are issued so residents, council and staff “are all on the same page.”

Residents pressed specific safety concerns tied to camera locations. At the Comanche and Livingston intersection several speakers said drivers must pull forward beyond the painted line to see oncoming traffic; when they do, cameras flag them. A resident said a neighbor “almost had a serious accident because of that.” Rosalice (a resident who spoke during public comment) said some drivers are now circling a traffic circle to avoid cameras, which she worried could increase collision risk.

Council members acknowledged the complaints and said the town will check whether citations relate to visibility limitations and whether adjustment of the enforcement box or camera calibration is needed. Council member Brownson noted the town had asked for an expanded stopping box at problematic intersections. Mayor Lilly invited residents to speak with Sergeant Coleman after the meeting for more immediate follow‑up and said the administration will pursue vendor review and potential technical adjustments.

Next steps: the town will arrange a vendor presentation at a future council meeting to review citation videos and metrics from the 30‑day study, and staff will continue to develop the town’s stop‑sign camera policy and a plan to address location‑specific visibility issues. The council did not take any vote to alter enforcement at the March 18 meeting.