Gov. Bill Richardson is putting Albuquerque's red-light cameras on the agenda for state lawmakers.

He said in his blog Monday that several legislators had asked to discuss the issue in the ongoing session.

Richardson last year signed state legislation requiring warning devices for drivers approaching intersections with the cameras. The city later installed "rumble" strips in the streets surrounding the intersections.

Richardson's blog post also questions whether the city has lowered the camera fines enough. A task force, for example, recently recommended the city reduce the fines by at least 25 percent.

Many "questions have been raised about the revenue from the fines and claims that the system has improved public safety," the governor's blog said.

You can find the blog here . 

The mayor's task force released its red-light-camera report earlier this week, but as always, there was much more information than I could squeeze into a daily news article. Here are some things from the report that I wanted to add:

• More than 30 percent of the red-light violations caught on camera don't result in a citation. That's because of technical problems or circumstances that make it difficult to see the license plate, such as sun glare, paper plates, obstructed plates or having another vehicle in the way. Also, some activity captured by the lights is legal, like making a right-hand turn on a red.
• Redflex, the private company helping to run the system, provides "only the most basic data to the city." The company doesn't analyze trends or anything like that.
• Albuquerque is a relatively dangerous place to drive. The city's crash rate, adjusted for population, is worse than Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa in Arizona; Oklahoma City; and Plano, Texas.
•  The city should hired an outside expert to analyze trends in the camera data and crashes.
•  Cruising and related traffic violations on Montgomery NE have dropped off dramatically since cameras were installed.
•  Albuquerque police caught on camera speeding or running a light must pay the fines themselves. They also are disciplined. The department is now getting fewer complaints about officers' driving.
• At least $42,000 has been reimbursed to violators because of extenuating circumstances, such as a speed-limit sign having been knocked down near the cameras.
•  It's possible that, after years of operation, as citations drop, the cameras will no longer generate enough revenue to support themselves.
• The timing of traffic signals isn't set to maximize violations.

Mayor Martin Chavez has a link to the report here .  (PDF of the report )

Albuquerque is just about the best place in the nation for filmmakers, according to a new list.

MovieMaker magazine ranked the city second best for places to live, work and make movies. It cited New Mexico's financial incentives and the massive Albuquerque Studios complex at Mesa del Sol.

Mayor Martin Chavez said Albuquerque's varied architecture also makes it a good stand-in for many other cities.

Tops this year was Austin, Texas. Albuquerque was No. 4 last year.

MovieMaker's cover features Charlize Theron, who's done three movies in Albuquerque. 

It wasn't all doom and gloom at yesterday's Economic Outlook Conference. My colleague Andrew Webb covered the basics here .

City Hall obviously depends on the economy for the bulk of its tax revenue, and city executives are expecting a tough year ahead. Pretty much everyone agrees the economy is slowing.

But the news isn't entirely bad. 

At yesterday's conference, economist Larry Waldman from the University of New Mexico said the film industry is "big" and "going to get bigger." New Mexico has one of the best incentive packages in the country, and it's bringing in good film-related business, he said.

As for Eclipse Aviation, Waldman said the recent layoffs there are probably "just a glitch in the road." He said Eclipse could turn into a lynchpin of the economy and help attract other aerospace companies.