Sioux City speed camera.

Sioux City speed camera.

The city council in Sioux City is taking steps to lower the fines charged to motorists caught on speed cameras.

Assistant City Attorney, Justin Vondrak, says the proposal covers the Interstate 29 speed cameras.

“Currently anyone who receives a citation receives a citation in the amount…the legislature imposes for that exact same fine if you were pulled over by an officer. We are going to shy away from that and actually lower the amounts,” Vondrak says. The change would drop the fines by $68.

“The ordinance would only cover any speeding violations captured by cameras — not any violations captured by an actual officer,” Vondrak says. The change would drop fines to $100 for going 11 to 15 miles-an-hour over the speed limit and $125 for going 16 to 20 miles-an-hour more than the speed limit. The city took a similar step to lower fines on its red light cameras a couple of years ago to $100.

The measure passed its first reading 4-1.

(Reporting by Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)