Almost a year after the red-light cameras started flashing at 25th and State streets in East St. Louis, the city remains stuck at the intersection.

East St. Louis has yet to get one penny from the revenue-sharing arrangement, even though residents continue to pay their fines, and city attorney Mike Wagner estimates that the city is now owed $42,000. He said in August that he would look into this mess, but now it's December and a renegotiated contract still isn't in place.

It's time to unplug the cameras until the company pays up. Despite all the talk about the cameras being installed to improve safety, we all know the real reason city officials wanted them was to get an extra source of revenue. That still hasn't happened.

If the city doesn't do something to force the issue, we'll probably be writing about this problem a year from now.