Why are people like this?
Couple of things. Depending on the state, one, those private companies issuing fines aren't allowed to report this to your insurance or DMV. Two, you can dispute the fine for a legitimate reason and you should be able to get the ticket revoked. Third, if all else fails, you can just not pay the ticket after disputing it. They could report it to a collections agency or ding your credit, but eh, I ain't giving those idiots my money. DMV doesn't have a record of those infractions. Maybe in some states, they're reported, but I don't know.
If the town or jurisdiction has already voted to remove the cameras and that hasn't been done yet, the jurisdiction authority can and should go ahead and remove the cameras. It might not be theirs, but because it's in a public place, I believe they can remove them without any issues.