Mason council waives sealed bids, approves $73,423 purchase of Axon body cameras

The Mason City Council on Sept. 15 voted 7-0 to waive the sealed-bidding process and approve the purchase of 12 Axon body cameras and related equipment from Axon Enterprises Inc. for $73,423.30.

Council members and staff said the purchase is driven by system compatibility: the city’s body cameras, tasers and its evidence management software operate as an integrated system and staff said switching to a different camera would require costly reconfiguration. "It's now more of an issue of a system that works together," a City staff member who presented the item said, adding that Axon's devices connect with the city's tasers and the evidence.com platform used for redaction.

Mayor Pro Tem Clark questioned the repeated use of the bid waiver. "It seems like every month we come in and we waive the bidding process," Clark said, asking whether Axon is the only vendor that matches the city's existing specifications. The presenter replied that, in a prior procurement, Axon had been compared with other vendors and had been higher than the lowest bid but that conversion costs to another system would be substantial.

City staff also clarified the nature of the arrangement, saying the procurement had been described internally as a lease but is actually structured as a service agreement under which the equipment becomes the city's after purchase and the city will have ongoing maintenance and service obligations. Staff said the initial purchase does not clearly cover all ongoing costs and that additional recurring fees may apply.

Council voted 7-0 to approve the motion to waive the sealed-bidding process and purchase the equipment.

The council did not provide a detailed breakdown of ongoing costs or the term structure for service and maintenance in the meeting materials; staff said they would follow up with specifics.