ST. CHARLES COUNTY • A judge on Monday upheld a countywide ban on red-light cameras approved by voters in 2014, rejecting arguments by St. Peters and other cities that it illegally intruded on municipalities’ rights to make such decisions.
Circuit Judge Dan Pelikan ruled that the amendment was within the authority given by the Missouri Constitution to counties with the charter form of government.
The constitution, Pelikan said, “grants the county authority to exercise power over any and all services and functions of any municipality or political subdivision.â€
The decision won’t have any practical effect on red-light cameras in the county because St. Peters officials already had said they wouldn’t begin using them again even if their lawsuit was successful.
However, the ruling provides added legal weight to the authority of charter counties to enact limits on municipalities.
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St. Peters had been the only city in the county using the cameras at the time the charter amendment was approved by voters in November 2014.
Joining St. Peters as plaintiffs in the lawsuit had been the cities of O’Fallon and Lake Saint Louis, along with O’Fallon Councilman Jim Pepper and former Dardenne Prairie Mayor Pam Fogarty.
The Missouri Municipal League and its St. Charles County affiliate had said they supported the suit.
The charter amendment had been put on the countywide ballot by the St. Charles County Council. The amendment applied both to unincorporated areas and municipalities such as St. Peters.
Judge Pelikan on Monday said while state law gives municipalities power over traffic regulation on their city streets, it doesn’t give them “exclusive control†as the cities had contended in their suit.
County Executive Steve Ehlmann called the ruling “a victory for the voters of St. Charles County,†noting that the red-light camera ban won at the polls with more than 72 percent support. St. Peters Mayor Len Pagano could not be reached for comment.