(Source: HoustonChronicle; Click2houston.com)

How should this be viewed – A population’s unwillingness to see the safety benefits of continuing with a safety measure?Or, is it simply a matter of the city administration, driven by the economic gains, unwilling to execute the citizens’ collective decision? The issues surrounding the City of Houston’s red-light camera enforcement now got a bit more chaotic by the latest court ruling. Read on.

Houston city leaders are assessing their options after a federal judge invalidated the November referendum that turned off a red-light surveillance system and halted a stream of millions of dollars into strapped city coffers.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes ruled Friday that the referendum was improperly placed on the ballot last year, and the city cannot be forced to turn off the cameras.U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes said that the issue as presented on the November ballot violated Houston’s city charter covering the repeal of an ordinance.Hughes said Houston’s city charter requires that efforts to overturn ordinances by referendum must occur within 30 days of an ordinance’s passage.

Video: Houston Red Light Camera Ruling

53%  percent voted against Proposition 3 in the Nov. 2 election. The measure forced the city to stop issuing tickets for those caught by the red-light cameras.