FY 26 Budget Q&A #011: Can you provide a breakdown of the financial impact, if any, of automated speed cameras installed to date? Does any of the legislation in 2025 impact their funding or implementation, and would additional cameras be revenue neutral?
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Question: Can you provide a breakdown of the financial impact, if any, of automated speed cameras installed to date? Does any of the legislation in 2025 impact their funding or implementation, and would additional cameras be revenue neutral? (Vice Mayor Bagley)
Response:
Current Program Analysis
The Speed Camera Program was launched in September 2023 and has generated $3.7 million in revenue, with $2.3 million collected in FY 2024 and $1.4 million in FY 2025 year-to-date. The amount of revenue forecasted for FY 2025 and budgeted in FY 2026 is $2.0 million based on current year receipts and the expectation that changes in behavior will reduce violations. These budgeted dollars helped balance the proposed budget. In future years, as greater compliance occurs, it is expected the revenue will decrease over time. The cameras are installed at three schools in Alexandria – Ferdinand T. Day at 1701 N Beauregard Street; Francis C. Hammond Middle School at 4646 Seminary Road; and George Washington Middle School at 1005 Mt. Vernon Avenue. There is an average of 4,332 violations a month. These violations must be thoroughly investigated by the Special Police Officer (SPO), and the offending driver is given the opportunity to request a hearing for the violation.
The current cost to run a fully implemented speed camera program is approximately $755,110 (cost to lease the six cameras, administrative services, maintenance services, plus salary & benefits of five Special Police Officers). It should be noted that the current personnel assigned to the Speed Camera Program also manage the Red-Light Camera Program. On average, an SPO can process 65 violations a day: averaging 1,300 a month. The processing period per violation is 30 days, mandated per code section. Each fixed pole camera costs approximately $90,000 annually per location, except for the camera located at George Washington Middle School, which costs $84,000 annually because it is portable. For every additional six cameras added, four more full-time equivalents (FTE) will be necessary to operate the program, costing approximately $659,000 for the cameras and staffing. Projecting future revenue is challenging with only two years of data; however, based on experience so far, it is likely a limited number of additional cameras would be cost neutral. At some point there would likely be a diminishing return on the number of cameras added, but that is currently unknown. It is also worth noting that the purpose of the program is to reduce speeding, so if it succeeds as intended, the cost recovery rate will decline over time.
Legislation Impact
Senate Bill 1209 stated that the revenue generated from speed cameras installed at high-risk intersections would not go to the locality. Instead, this money would be diverted to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB), which could have resulted in a reduction to the City’s General Fund Revenue. This bill failed in committee and was not adopted.
House Bill 2718 stated speed monitoring must provide clear evidence as a preliminary basis for enforcing vehicle speed violations which could limit ability to charge accused. As of March 25, 2025, the Governor provided his recommendations to the House, and the Bill has Passed. There is no fiscal impact because the APD is already following the correct process to confirm the identity of the offending driver.
