Suffolk OKs $60 million in bonds to cover red light ticket refund program

Suffolk County will borrow $60 million to reimburse drivers who paid the county's illegal red light camera fees, part of a settlement reached earlier this year in a class action lawsuit.

Suffolk lawmakers last week approved a resolution to authorize the county to issue $60 million in five-year municipal bonds to finance the settlement. The county's $57.5 million settlement includes a total of $45 million to drivers and $12.5 million to the plaintiffs' lawyers, Newsday previously reported.

Drivers who paid a $30 administrative fee on top of the $50 base fine will be eligible to receive up to $36 per violation, according to the settlement.

Legislators approved the resolution 15-0 at Wednesday’s general meeting. Three members were absent.

Presiding Officer Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) said before the vote that some lawmakers had been warning "for years" about the problematic fee.

"We put bills in to stop it," he said. "We put bills in to sequester the money. It got to the point where we begged the [Democratic] majority at the time not to continue this because we knew we were going to lose this lawsuit."

The county has five years to pay off the bond debt, according to the resolution. 

Suffolk collected about $91 million from the illegal fees between 2013 and 2022, Newsday previously reported.

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said during his State of the County address earlier this month that the county has received five bond rating increases since his administration started, which allows the county to borrow for less and could ultimately reduce the cost to taxpayers. 

Drivers who paid the fee have started to receive postcard claim forms with instructions on how to get their share of the settlement. The mailers need to be returned with a postmark stamped no later than Dec. 8. The card offers several payment options for drivers: PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, check or prepaid debit card.

The claim form notes that the final payment amount per violation will be determined "after all valid claims are submitted."

Suffolk lawmakers repealed the red light administration fee in December 2022 after it was determined to be in violation of state law. The county ended the program altogether two years later.

Drivers can find additional information at SuffolkRedLightSettlement.com.

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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