The speed camera ordinance will wait two more weeks. Here's how the Council voted to delay it

Denver's plan to expand automated speed cameras hit another pause on Monday. Instead of moving the ordinance forward, the City Council voted 8-3 to postpone it to Nov. 9.

The bill, Council Bill 26-1435, rewrites Chapter 54 of the city code on what the city calls its Automated Vehicle Identification System. It would line Denver's rules up with a new state law and set where cameras can go, what tickets cost and how drivers contest them (Legistar).

Why it matters: the ordinance decides how many Denver drivers get camera tickets, and for how much.

What's in the proposal

According to Denver7's report on the committee vote:

• 48 enforcement corridors: more than 38 on city streets and 10 on state roads that would need the Colorado Department of Transportation's approval.
• Fines: camera tickets would run $40 to $120 depending on speed and location. They are civil, are not reported to the DMV and don't add license points.
• Appeals: drivers would have about 45 days to pay or contest a notice at an administrative hearing.
• Revenue: where the money goes is still being worked out with the Department of Finance.

Denver7 reported that Council Member Shontel Lewis has proposed changing how fines work for repeat violations of 6 to 9 mph over the limit, and that Council President Pro Tem Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez wants the choice between a warning and a fine written into the ordinance. The same report quoted the Department of Safety's chief of staff saying revenue depends on how many cameras are deployed and what equipment and staff cost.

What our records add

How Monday's vote went. Council Member Chris Hinds moved to order the bill published, which is the first-reading step, and Council Member Kevin Flynn seconded. Lewis then moved to postpone it to Nov. 9, seconded by Council Member Flor Alvidrez. The postponement passed (roll call):

• Yes (8): Alvidrez, Stacie Gilmore, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Hinds, Paul Kashmann, Lewis, Jamie Torres, Darrell Watson
• No (3): Flynn, Amanda Sawyer, Council President Diana Romero Campbell
• Absent (1): Amanda Sandoval

The video and transcript of Monday's meeting were not yet posted on our meeting page when this story was published.

This is the second delay. The Health and Safety Committee first postponed the bill on Oct. 7 after a long presentation, on Flynn's motion (video). It approved the bill for filing on Oct. 14, on a motion by Sandoval (video). At that meeting, Sandoval described the notices drivers would see approaching a camera (video at 16:51). On Oct. 7, she had raised whether camera fines should be lower for equity reasons (video at 1:19:29).

The city's budget already counts on it, in part. In July, budget staff told the Budget and Policy Committee about $2 million was set aside for the speed camera program (video at 35:13). Denverite has reported that the 2027 budget assumes $3.1 million more from traffic enforcement, though the department said that number isn't tied to this ordinance. See our first story on the bill.

Written testimony is on file. The bill's record includes written public testimony and the department's follow-up answers to committee questions.

What's next

• Nov. 9: The bill returns for first reading. If it is ordered published, a final vote could come one week later.
• Any amendment on fines or warnings would most likely be offered in that window.
• Staff have said an operations plan is due to the Council in the fourth quarter.