MUSCATINE, Iowa — Muscatine will be fighting the Iowa DOT rulings that shut down its fixed speed cameras.
That came after the state legislature passed a law earlier this year allowing the DOT to evaluate speed camera locations across the state. The requires cities to submit an application for each location. The law also says tickets can't be given out unless drivers are going at least 10 miles per hour over the speed limit.
Speed camera rulings were handed out at the end of September, approving only 11 of nearly 130 fixed camera applications. None of the approved cameras are in Muscatine.
RELATED: Iowa speed cameras shut down following DOT rulings — Here are the ones that are still active
The intersection at Park Avenue and Cleveland Street has two of Muscatine's eight speed cameras. None of them are giving out speeding tickets right now, thanks to the Iowa DOT ruling. But the city is hoping to change that ruling.
That includes Anthony Kies, chief of police and interim city administrator. He said speed camera locations were chosen based on a 2011 study of dangerous intersections.
"They were put up in specific areas in town where a study was done where we had traffic accidents, and rather impactful, serious accidents, at those locations," Kies said.
Assistant Chief Steve Snider said those intersections are dangerous for officers, too.
"One of the reasons they were chosen as well is they're very difficult locations for officers to do traffic enforcement," Snider said. "Because of the high traffic volume, it’s just not real safe to have officers either sitting on the shoulder, or trying to turn around in traffic after violators."
Snider said the cameras worked.
"Even though we still saw some accidents occurring, they were not occurring with the severity and the injuries that had been going before with the higher speeds that were coming through those intersections," Snider said.
They also brought in money for first responders — more than $500,000 in Fiscal Year 2023. But on October 1, those cameras were shut down.
"The DOT seemed to be very arbitrary on what applications approved or denied," Snider said during a city council study session. "Their reasoning behind denial was very brief, kind of vague and incomplete."
Cities are able to appeal the DOT rulings. Kies and Snider left that decision up to the council.
"It sounds to me like we could be spending a lot of money legally," Councilman John Jindrich said. "I’m in favor of traffic cameras, but also in charge of being fiscally responsible."
While the council was hesitant to run up a legal bill, they agreed to start an appeal. Kies said the council could make a decision down the road if the appeal were to go to court.
But no matter the outcome, Kies said safety is the top priority.
"The ultimate goal is to have no revenue if people are abiding by the law and going the speed limit and stopping at the stop lights," Kies said.
Muscatine's fixed cameras are still giving tickets for red light violations. Kies said that helps keep speeds down, even without speed tickets.
The DOT said the city can still use the city's mobile enforcement car at three approved locations. You can find an interactive map of those locations here.