Lafayette Councilman Wants A Vote On Traffic Cameras

Lafayette City-Parish Councilman William Theriot will be introducing an ordinance at Tuesday night's meeting.  Theriot wants the voters to be able to decide whether or not the Safe Light/Safe Speed program should be eliminated from Lafayette.  He is introducing this ordinance even though the city-parish attorney has reminded him that a public vote on the issue is not allowed by local and state law.

Agenda item number 27, which falls under the category of Introductory Ordinances, is a proposed ordinance to give the people the chance to vote on whether or not they want the traffic-camera program.  The ordinance, O-134-2012, reads as follows:

An ordinance of the Lafayette City-Parish Council calling for a public vote on the question of whether the provisions of Chapter 86, Article X of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code or Ordinances ("Electronic Enforcement"), and any related references thereto, shall be repealed. (William Theriot)

If the council gives approval to the introductory ordinance, then it would come up for a final vote and public comment in a few weeks.  If it gets approval through those steps then it would be on the ballot this fall.  It was just last month that a measure by Councilmen Jared Bellard, William Theriot and Andy Naquin to eliminate the program was voted down by 6 t0 3 by the Lafayette City Parish Council.