Committee forwards purchase of safe‑city cameras but records 2–1 split

City staff told the committee a state legislative grant awarded in 2020 remains available but must be spent by June; the grant net amount cited in committee discussion was approximately $99,910 after administrative fees. Staff proposed using the funds to buy 14 multisensor cameras, 12 PTZ cameras, two bullet cameras, associated licensing, and ancillary installation materials such as wireless bridges and weather‑rated cable. The recommended reseller named in the packet was Security Solutions; the grant cannot be used for labor, so staff said the city will provide in‑kind labor where possible and use outside labor where needed.

Staff described the Safe City network as an established program that now includes mobile trailers and volunteer monitoring; committee members asked about recurring maintenance and license structures. Staff explained licenses are purchased per current major version (version 8) and upgrades to newer major releases would require optional support purchases; earlier vendor changes (Avigilon acquisition by Motorola) altered licensing models, producing hybrid ongoing costs for optional upgrades.

Committee discussion covered replacement of some existing cameras at specific intersections, site lists (corridor locations, park‑and‑rides, convenience stores, banks), and the cost trade‑offs between per‑year vendor services (for example, Flock camera annual fees were cited as roughly $3,000 per camera per year) and the grant’s one‑time equipment purchases. One committee member expressed concern about expanding surveillance infrastructure and preferred using grant funds to replace and repair existing systems and mobile units rather than add new fixed infrastructure.

The motion to forward the proposed purchase to the April 1 consent agenda passed with a recorded 2–1 vote; Councilmember McDaniel voted nay, and the committee chair recorded the result as passing 2–1.