Burleson council approves $7.32 million 10-year Axon contract for police technology; fleet purchases also approved

Burleson City Council on Sept. 15 approved a consolidated 10-year contract with Axon to provide in-car cameras, body-worn cameras, tasers, drones and associated software and services at a total cost of about $7,321,846.58, and separately approved cooperative purchases for replacement city vehicles.

Mayor Chris Fletcher presided as Police Chief Billy Cordell and staff described the consolidation of roughly 10 existing contracts into one long-term agreement. Cordell told the council the consolidated contract reduced the projected 10‑year cost (from roughly $7.5 million under separate contracts) and produced an estimated $189,197 in savings over the contract life. He said officers who used Axon’s AI tools in a trial reported improved report-writing efficiency.

“Your voices were heard very loudly and the fact that we need to go back and renegotiate these contracts led to some significant changes,” Cordell said, summarizing negotiation results and the rationale for consolidation.

Council members pressed staff for details about AI use and renewal terms and asked for written justifications where the city is granting its own departments exceptions to sign rules. A councilmember said the AI trial produced positive feedback but asked which agencies use the platform and whether the city’s contract included safeguards on automated functions. Cordell said Axon provided references for Texas agencies and that staff would answer detailed contract questions.

Separately, Director of Public Works Eric Thompson summarized two cooperative purchasing agreements brought off the consent agenda: a BuyBoard contract for six light-duty trucks (item 5I) and a BuyBoard contract for six replacement vehicles (item 5J). Thompson said purchases were financed from equipment-replacement funds and noted the 11 units discussed were about $159,705 under the original budgeted amount. He explained the city is strategically downsizing some vehicles to lower acquisition and operating costs.

Councilmember Adam moved to approve item 5I and Alexa seconded; the motion passed unanimously. A separate motion to approve 5J also passed unanimously. Later, a motion by Victoria (seconded by Larry) to approve the Axon contract passed unanimously.

What happens next

Staff will finalize the Axon contract language and execute the agreements; any operational changes tied to the contract (for example, scheduling, training, or AI-enabled workflows) will be implemented by police staff under the terms of the executed contract. Vehicle purchases will proceed under the BuyBoard cooperative agreements and be implemented per procurement timelines.

Why it matters

The Axon contract centralizes multiple vendor relationships and locks in equipment and services for a decade; council members cited both fiscal prudence (consolidation savings) and oversight concerns (AI use, contract details and public justification for code waivers) as reasons for close review.