Prosecutor's office budgets $35,000-a-year Axon software; council members flag jump from law-book line

The prosecutor’s office told county officials it has incorporated a new software subscription from Axon — the company that manages body-camera evidence and digital case material — into its 2026 budget at roughly $35,000 a year. Prosecutor Mark McCann said the office adopted the Axon-hosted platform to centralize police body-camera footage, reports and discovery materials, and to give defense attorneys secure access links for court-ordered discovery. "Instead of copies or thumb drives or emails, they just access that," McCann told the council. He said the software alerts the office and defense counsel when new files are uploaded and provides usage logs of who accessed material. McCann said the Axon line was placed under code 47-240 in the prosecutor's submitted budget, historically used for law books and legal subscriptions; the office had previously paid some research and software expenses from assorted line items. The requested Axon subscription represents a substantial jump from a $600 law-books line in the prior budget document and generated multiple questions from council members about whether the software subscription should be moved to a more appropriate line or categorized differently. "This is listed under law books. It's really a software subscription. Is that correct?" Council members asked. McCann acknowledged Axon is a software subscription and said the office had paid similar software and services in past years, sometimes by reallocating funds from other accounts; he said the $35,000 figure is an annual contract cost. Council members pressed whether the office had alternatives and whether the county could negotiate a different contract category; McCann said Axon had provided a year free early in the rollout and that the product is widely used by law enforcement. He added the system has made evidence production more efficient and helps the office maintain a complete, auditable record for discovery. McCann also said the office is buying Axon for investigators and that the software will be used alongside other research subscriptions the office maintains. Why it matters: The change reallocates a modest historical budget line into a substantial recurring software expenditure and raises budget-classification questions for the council. The Axon contract is designed to streamline discovery production, but the shift to a $35,000 recurring subscription where a nominal "law books" budget line once sat drew concerns about transparency in how software and subscription costs are classified across county budgets. Discussion points: Annual cost of Axon subscription; classification of the expense (law books vs. software/capital vs. operating); whether other subscriptions or capital lines will be reduced or consolidated; potential efficiency and discovery-management benefits. Directions/assignments: Council members asked the prosecutor to provide more detail on the Axon contract and whether other software subscriptions can be consolidated or reduced; the prosecutor said the office can provide additional breakdowns. Decisions: None recorded at the meeting; council discussion centered on classification and visibility of the expense.