Groves council approves Homeland Security grant application to buy unmanned aircraft system

The Groves City Council on Oct. 13 approved Resolution 2025-09 authorizing the submittal of a FY2026 Public Safety Office Homeland Security grant application to purchase an unmanned aircraft system, and designated the city marshal as the authorized officer.

City staff told the council the request seeks $66,716.30 and "This grant specifically has no local match," and that the funding would cover the drone, warranty, training, licensing and software updates for the first year. City staff said the system "doesn't have facial recognition technology" and described primary uses as investigations, scene mapping and disaster response.

The council voted to approve the resolution after a staff presentation explaining the grant program and the equipment's capabilities. City staff said the grant is a Homeland Security priority targeted at border-crisis response but added the equipment also would have secondary uses — for natural-disaster assessment, large public events and infrastructure inspections. Any additional accessories beyond the base model would require separate city approval and funding.

The motion to approve was made and seconded on the record and passed; the measure designates the city marshal as the authorized officer to manage the application and potential award.

City staff emphasized that licensing and FAA compliance training for officer-pilots would be included in the grant budget and any recurring or additional equipment costs beyond the grant period would require future council action or budget approval.