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Staff: state grants for paused ALPR program are closed; council moves to schedule action to end vendor contract
Summary
City finance staff told the council that two state grants that supported Redmond's automatic license-plate-reader program (VAPAR and the Dept. of Commerce) were used as intended and are closed; several council members supported scheduling a termination vote on the program's vendor contract pending final closeout materials.
Redmond staff reported at the May 26 study session that the city's suspended automatic license-plate-reader (ALPR) program had been funded in part by two state grants and that grant agencies confirmed expenditures were for authorized purposes.
Deputy Director of Finance Hara Nara told the council the program received grants from the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority (VAPAR; about $44,000) and the Washington Department of Commerce (about $95,000). "Both agencies confirmed that the grant funds were used for their intended purpose and that stopping this program does not create any compliance issues," Nara said. The Department of Commerce told staff its grant file was closed; VAPAR requested a final report of camera statistics from the period the cameras were active and indicated no repayment is required unless the city receives a vendor refund.
Staff said auditors focus on proper documentation and reporting at closeout; if the city receives refunds from the vendor, grantors may require reimbursement of grant-funded amounts. Staff also said it will prepare a closeout package for council consideration. Several council members said they supported scheduling council action to end the contract with the current vendor (Flock). "I support scheduling council action to end our contract with Flock," Council Member Critzer said. Some members expressed caution about alternatives and whether to consider a different vendor immediately; others said the city should not pursue a new vendor now while community trust and data governance issues are unresolved.
Next steps: staff will prepare a closeout package and, if no financial or audit impediments remain, council leadership will schedule formal action to terminate the contract for a future meeting.
