Glenwood Springs adopts policy for speed-camera revenue and creates dedicated budget; staff reports early speed reductions

The Glenwood Springs City Council adopted a financial policy on March 5 that defines permitted uses of speed-camera revenue, creates a separate budget department to track receipts and expenditures, and approves an initial appropriation for program administration and municipal-court processing.

Finance Director Evette Gustad presented program results and the proposed policy. Gustad said cameras are producing measurable speed reductions at monitored sites and provided example figures: “For instance, the one coming into Glenwood, the speed before was 56 miles an hour at the 85% and now it’s 47 miles an hour,” she said. Gustad also summarized financial activity: the city has issued about $1,062,000 in citations to date and collected roughly $585,000 of those amounts so far (after vendor fees and operating costs).

Policy and spending: The adopted policy restricts spending to program costs and traffic- and public-safety-related activities — for example, system maintenance, data and analysis, traffic engineering, pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements, public education and related staffing and court costs. It prohibits using the revenue for unrelated general-government operations or non-transport capital projects. At council request staff committed to periodic public reporting (including counts of tickets issued and funds collected).

Budget appropriation: Council approved an ordinance making a first appropriation to the 2026 budget that creates a separate department to administer the program, funds initial staffing and court costs, and includes a line for Southbridge right-of-way offers discussed earlier. Some councilors urged using proceeds for new transit or parking solutions rather than duplicating existing street-fund projects; others argued reporting and transparency investments justify modest administrative spending.

Ending: The council approved the policy and appropriation (policy vote passed 6–1; appropriation passed 5–2). Staff said they will provide regular performance reports and a public-facing summary of speed and revenue trends.