http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/05/disaster_repairs_redflex_traff.html

Disaster repairs; Redflex traffic light lawsuits on Jefferson Parish Council's agenda
Published: Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 7:55 AM     Updated: Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 11:49 AM
 By Richard Rainey, The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune

Debris collection and repairs to lift stations and traffic signals are among the emergency services the Jefferson Parish Council will consider preemptively awarding today as it meets in the Joseph S. Yenni Building. The council also is scheduled to review the status of lawsuits http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2011/09/class-action_suit_against_jeff.html swirling around the now defunct stoplight traffic camera program. Two groups of motorists are suing the parish, which is locked into a separate legal battle with the camera providing company, Redflex Traffic Solutions.

Jefferson Parish has been preemptively awarding emergency contracts, usually set for a year to two years, in bulk since Hurricane Gustav struck in 2008. The philosophy is that companies will be in place to provide services when a hurricane hits the area, expediting recovery efforts and leaving less chance for less scrupulous contractors to secure contracts during a chaotic recovery period.

The council will consider hiring BLD Services to restore any downed lift stations after a natural disaster. The company's low bid came in at $4.3 million, and the contract is scheduled to span from June 1 to May 31, 2013. The council will also consider hiring Walter J. Barnes Electric Co., at no more than $1.4 million, to repair any future damaged traffic lights in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts for the next year.

In the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Districts, the council will consider hiring Jack B. Harper Electrical Inc. at $1.4 million, and Traffic Solutions Inc. at $259,250 to fix traffic signals damaged during a disaster for the next year.

Choosing firms to collect storm debris and to monitor any clean-up are on the council's agenda, but it's expected any decision will be postponed to a later council meeting.

Redflex and Jefferson Parish have been sparring in legal arenas since the council suspended the traffic camera program in March 2010. Roughly $20 million collected in fines sits in an escrow account, $5 million of which Redflex claims the parish owes the company.

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