Activists in the city of Arnold as early as this week expect to secure the number of signatures required to hold a referendum that would outlaw Missouri's first red light camera program. Organizers for the political action committee calling itself "Don't Tread on Me" need a total of 835 signatures to give voters a say on the April 7, 2009 ballot on whether photo enforcement should continue in the city.

"These cameras were never about safety," Arnold City Councilman Matthew Hay said. "They are about revenue generation plain and simple. With all of the new developments and related sales taxes flowing into the city, it is more than time to end the 'red light shakedown' in order to attempt to compensate for budget shortfalls."

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