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County approves five-year Axon agreement, drone and CERT equipment purchases for sheriff
Summary
Montgomery County commissioners approved a five-year contract with Axon and authorized purchases of drones, Flock camera subscription and CERT protective gear, with annual subscription costs and one-time equipment purchases detailed during the meeting.
Montgomery County commissioners on a unanimous vote approved a five-year contract with Axon and authorized related purchases including drones, a Flock camera subscription and CERT protective equipment to update sheriff's office and emergency response technology.
County staff said the revised Axon contract reduces initial costs by removing some high-cost items and focuses on immediate needs: body-worn cameras, tasers and data storage. Jonathan Boo, staff member, told commissioners the reconfigured Axon package would cost $41,003.20 per year and include unlimited data storage, replacement cameras if damaged, training and shared taser functionality that lets agencies share devices across shifts.
The county will also pay $22,500 per year for drone services (Brink drones with “life ops”) and $9,000 per year for the Flock subscription. Boo said bundling Flock across Montgomery County, Cherryville and Caney kept the county share at $9,000 rather than a planned increase that would have nearly doubled the price. He described drones as a tool to keep personnel out of hazardous environments and said the package includes replacement and repair coverage.
The motion approved included one-time equipment purchases for CERT: nine vests ($37,620), helmets ($9,420), headset/cable kits ($24,248) and mask/canisters for gas deployments ($10,009.80), plus a $2,963 upgrade for 20-year-old surveillance equipment cited for the sheriff’s office. Staff said the remaining 2025 allocations after these purchases would be about $191,229 from the sheriff/CERT CIP lines; vehicle procurement and other items were pushed into 2026.
Boo summarized expected recurring costs as about $72,000 per year for subscription-style items (Axon, drones, Flock) if vehicle financing is omitted. Commissioners discussed the spending priorities and thanked staff for trimming a larger initial request to a package focused on operations and ongoing costs. Commissioner Beaver made the motion to proceed; Commissioner Cordray seconded. The vote was recorded as Commissioner Beaver — yes; Commissioner Cordray — yes; Commissioner Klubine — yes.
County staff said the Axon contract will be signed and effective later in the year and that staff will return with any necessary final contract pages. Boo offered to present the drone system and related operations in a work session for commissioners interested in a demonstration.
The approval covers the Axon five-year agreement, the drone service subscription, Flock camera subscription (with contributions from Caney and Cherryville), CERT equipment, and the surveillance equipment upgrade.
