Fairview Park Board approves Clearview AI software and a slate of routine purchases

The Fairview Park Board of Control approved a $5,000 purchase order for Clearview AI Inc. to provide facial-recognition software to the Police Detective Bureau during a Jan. 26 meeting in City Hall. The board voted unanimously to approve that purchase alongside a package of routine vendor payments and contract extensions.

The vote was taken during the board’s regular session after roll call and the approval of prior minutes. The minutes list Mayor Bill Schneider, Council Member Minek, Law Director Dever, Finance Director Pae and Public Service & Development Director Hitch as voting members; the recorded votes for the Clearview AI purchase show all listed members voting in the affirmative.

Why it matters: purchases of facial-recognition technology by local police agencies raise privacy and civil-liberties concerns in many jurisdictions because the software can be used to identify individuals in images and social media. The minutes record the procurement request and the fund charged (General fund 100) but do not record any discussion of privacy safeguards, policy limits, or intended operational use.

What the board approved: In addition to Clearview AI, the board approved the following items during the Jan. 26 meeting:

- HVAC maintenance contract: a three-year maintenance contract with The Smith & Oby Company for $26,000 charged to General/Recreation fund 100/230.

- Background-check services: $8,500 to the State of Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) for 2026 background checks (fund 100/230/761).

- Forfeiture distribution: $13,033 to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office (Trust Fund 714) as the county’s portion of a forfeiture; the minutes note a $65,000 seizure in the underlying drug-trafficking case.

- Fire/EMS equipment: $5,436.08 to Breathing Air Systems for a 5,500 psi SCBA compressor and fill station (EMS fund 781), described in the minutes as a used system offering longer run time.

- Firehouse bedding: $5,814.28 to The Original Mattress Factor to replace seven to eight mattresses and box springs (General fund 100).

- Tree removal: an increase of $26,000 to an open purchase order with Park Tree West LLC for dead municipal tree removal, bringing the PO total to $46,000 (General fund 100).

- CitizenServe contract: addition of $16,800 to a CitizenServe service agreement for 2025 (total line $33,600); minutes note the city will pay the 2026 contract mid-year (General fund 100).

All listed purchases were recorded as approved by vote. The minutes do not show extended discussion of any single purchase; they record the departmental request, vendor, amount, fund charged, a notation of motion and second, and the board’s recorded ayes.

Board procedure and next steps: The minutes show motions to approve each item followed by recorded votes and the meeting adjourned at 10:19 a.m. The minutes do not record operational policies, implementation schedules, or conditions attached to the Clearview AI purchase; no documents or policy safeguards were described in the minutes.

Votes at a glance: every purchase listed in the Jan. 26 minutes is recorded as approved; the minutes show the five listed board members each recorded with an “aye” mark for each item. Specific mover/second names are recorded in the minutes as generic role lines (e.g., “Motion to Approve by: Public Service & Development Director”) but the minutes do not include a separate transcript of who spoke about each item.

The board’s minutes list the prior Board of Control meeting date as Jan. 12 and close with a formal adjournment at 10:19 a.m.