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Youngtown renews $292,000 FLOCK surveillance contract as council debates homelessness cleanup and costs
Summary
The council unanimously renewed a two‑year services agreement with FLOCK Group for gunshot detection, ALPRs and cameras at $146,000 per year and discussed the town's efforts to clear homeless camps and remove hazardous trees and trash in the wash.
The Youngtown Common Council approved a two‑year renewal with FLOCK Group, Inc. for public‑safety technology that includes gunshot detection, automatic license plate readers and camera systems.
Town Manager Brian Stutsman said the renewal runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, at $146,000 per year—$292,000 over two years—and described prior demonstrations of FLOCK and other vendor technologies. Council voted unanimously to renew the contract.
The FLOCK renewal came amid extended council discussion about homelessness and nuisance conditions in local washes. Stutsman described enforcement activity coordinated with the Sheriff's Office and said cleanup and removal of trash and vegetation would be necessary to keep encampments from re‑forming. "The only thing that's going to keep them from coming back is removing the trash, cutting down the trees, making it so there's no place for them to hide," he said.
Council members and staff also flagged potential costs tied to beautification and safety work around the lake and wash, including removal of dead trees. Stutsman cited one estimate of $4,700 to remove a hazardous tree; he asked the council to consider whether to subcontract some work or invest in town equipment and crews to perform future tasks.
The meeting record shows unanimous approval of the FLOCK services renewal; the motion included the two‑year term and the per‑year price presented by staff. Council did not adopt specific additional funding for wash cleanup at this meeting but directed staff to continue coordinating enforcement and cleanup planning with county partners.
