Van cams running
deficit of $80,231

The state speeding program
does not generate enough
revenue to pay its tab

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By Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.com

The state's Photo Traffic Enforcement Program was running at an $80,231.25 deficit at the end of February because it agreed to pay for citations that could not be issued by the company that operates the camera vans.

The state took in $90,318 for 1,236 tickets paid by the end of the second month of the program, according to figures compiled by the state Judiciary. However, only $56,946 can be used to pay for the operation of the program. The bill for the first two months of the program is $137,177.25.

According to the state law that established the program, $20 of every ticket paid goes into the general fund for administrative costs. An additional $7 goes into the Driver's Education Special Fund. The rest goes into the Photo Enforcement Special Fund to pay for the operation of the program.

Affiliated Computer Service, doing business in Hawaii as ACS State and Local Solutions, is owed $29.75 for every ticket paid. For 1,236 tickets, that amounts to $36,771.

But the state also agreed to pay ACS 75 percent of $29.75 for every ticket the company was not able to issue because it could not match the name of the registered owner of the vehicle tagged for speeding with the driver's license number.

Matching the name of the registered owner with the driver's license number was not included as a requirement in the state's contract with ACS because transportation officials believed the infraction would be treated similar to a parking violation, said Marilyn Kali, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

It was not until December that the state Judiciary informed the Department of Transportation that it needs the driver's license number to enter the speeding violation on the driver's abstract, she said.

In January the Department of Transportation agreed to pay ACS $46,767 for 2,096 tickets the company was not able to issue. In February there were 2,404 citations ACS could not issue. At 75 percent of $29.75 for each citation, that amounts to $53,639.25 the state owes ACS for February.

The state has not paid ACS any money because the company has yet to submit a bill, Kali said.