SIOUX CITY — The Sioux City Council voted unanimously Monday to adjust the civil penalties for automated speed camera violations.
Adjusting the amount of the civil penalties allows the city to be in compliance with a new state law.
Red light camera violations are unaffected by the new legislation, which Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law last month.
The new law requires local authorities to receive a permit from the state to place or to continue to use a traffic camera, and stipulates how local governments can spend revenue from tickets. It also provides for persons other than sworn police officers to engage in the review and enforcement processes of speed camera violations.
The traffic camera permitting process will run through the Iowa Department of Transportation, which will consider traffic and crash figures when determining whether a camera is justified.
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In order to be in compliance with state law, the Sioux City Police Department moved its speed cameras back to the 3100 block of Myrtle Street and the 3100 block of Lincoln Way, which is where they were at Jan. 1, 2024. The cameras had been in the 5200 block of Christy Road and 2800 block of Cheyenne Boulevard since late March.
Mayor Bob Scott doesn't like the speed camera placement on Myrtle Street and said it looks like the city is "picking on that side of town."
"That's one of the lowest speed limits for a street that long in the city," he said. "I don't agree with that camera going back there, and I know I don't have anything to say about it. That's what makes it look like we're in this for the money."
Scott said he envisioned the cameras to be moved to an area to take care of a speeding problem and, then, once that problem was addressed, relocate the camera to another place.
"They are speed traps, but I didn't want them set up permanently. I wanted them to moved around," Scott said.
A Sioux City speed camera kiosk is shown on Floyd Boulevard in this Journal file photo.
Under the ordinance, which won't go into effect until July 1, the civil penalties for automated speed camera violations will be as follows:
For speeds 11-20 mph (formerly 11-15 mph) over the posted speed limit, a penalty of $75 (formerly $100).
For speeds 21-25 mph (formerly 16-20 mph) over the posted speed limit, a penalty of $100 (formerly $125).
For speeds 26-30 mph (formerly 21 or more mph) over the posted speed limit, a penalty of $250 (formerly $150).
For speeds greater than 30 mph over the posted speed limit, a penalty of $500.
The penalties will be doubled for violations that occur in a road work zone.
In other action
The council also approved adding a new "Code of Ethics" chapter to the municipal code.
The "Code of Ethics" ordinance establishes a policy and guidelines reflecting expected values and behaviors for elected and appointed city officials, city officers, including board and commission members, and employees.
"This ethics chapter that we are requesting be added to City Code mirrors the current code state code version. The request comes from city staff, they felt it would be beneficial for grant applications to include our own version of the ethics code," City Attorney Nicole DuBois said.
Scott remarked, "I thought we already had a code of ethics."
"We do, but not to this amount of detail," DuBois responded. "They wanted to see it at the city ordinance level for the applications."
Mayor Pro Tem Dan Moore said the chapter goes to the extent of having members of the city's boards, committees and commissions under the code of ethics, as well as all city employees.
"I think it's good. It sets the tone for how people representing our organization should behave and expectations," Councilman Alex Watters said.
All public officials, board members, commissioners and city employees hold a public trust and are expected to adhere to a standard of behavior that "does not violate, provide an opportunity to violate, or appear to violate that trust, and that shall not present apparent or actual conflicts of interest between the public trust and private interests," according to the documents.
The ordinance also requires that no public official, board member, commissioner or city employee use their public employment/appointment for private financial gain or to secure special privileges for themselves or another person.
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