City officials in St. Charles, Missouri seek to invalidate the decision of three out of four residents who voted to ban red light cameras.
St Charles courthouse. Three towns in Missouri joined together to sue the the residents of St. Charles who voted to ban red light cameras. St. Peters, Lake Saint Louis and O'Fallon are asking a county circuit court judge to overturn the charter amendment banning automated enforcement adopted in November with the support of 73 percent of voters. City leaders argue that the 69,469 residents who voted for the measure had no business limiting the right of local politicians to use automated ticketing machines.
"The charter amendment invades the legislative jurisdiction of cities in contravention of state policy, and conflicts with the authority specifically delegated to cities by the state to address their specific needs including traffic and enforcement of traffic regulations," attorney Matthew J. Fairless wrote in the cities' complaint.
The suit alleges the charter amendment will result in "a loss of revenue" and, therefore, each of the cities has standing to sue. The cities also argue that the Missouri General Assembly gave each city government "exclusive control over all streets, alleys, avenues and public highways within the limits of such city" so that the people who live in the county have no say in the decisions made by political leaders.
