Red light cameras highlight county commissioners’ wish list
Clark County commissioners expressed support Tuesday for introducing a state bill to create a red light traffic camera pilot program.
Commissioners pitched the proposal during a discussion about possible bill ideas for the upcoming legislative session.
Commissioner Michael Naft said red light cameras are used by neighboring states, and he said there’s “no reason” the county shouldn’t be using them.
“There’s no reason it shouldn’t be something that we take advantage of as we utilize so many other forms of technology in policing and enforcement and improving safety,” he said.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill told the Review-Journal in January that he wants red light and traffic cameras. Current law prohibits traffic cameras unless law enforcement is present.
Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpartrick also expressed support for a red light traffic camera pilot program, but Commissioner Tick Segerblom suggested that the county should create a fund to install the cameras itself, as opposed to the cameras being fully operated by Metro.
The county is allowed to submit up to four bill draft requests to the state agency responsible for legislative affairs, which writes proposals into actual bills. The requests must be submitted by Sept. 1.
Commissioners also discussed possible measures to address an influx of abandoned or hard-to-move RVs that they say are making the roads unsafe.
Kirkpatrick suggested a bill that would allow the county to crush the RVs if they don’t have titles or are valued under a certain amount.
Segerblom also proposed taxing large companies that own big swaths of residential housing at a different rate than regular homeowners.
The Review-Journal reported in January that just one corporate landlord bought hundreds of Clark County homes in one sale last summer. Corporate landlords could own close to 40 percent of all U.S. homes by 2030, according to a study by MetLife Investment Management.
Commissioners are set to approve its final suggestions to send to the Legislative Counsel Bureau at a later meeting.
Contact Taylor R. Avery at TAvery@reviewjournal.com. Follow @travery98 on X.