Council approves purchase of six 4K security cameras after debate

The Kennard Town Council voted to purchase six 4K security cameras after members debated quality, cost and storage needs.

At the meeting, Council member raised an estimate that replacing the six broken cameras with 2K units would cost less, while buying 4K cameras would cost more but provide higher-quality footage. The council discussed current storage capacity — about four months of footage on the town’s hard drive — and whether the upgrade should come from the safety fund or be split among other accounts. Chair moved to "go ahead and get those 6 4 k cameras" as recorded in the meeting transcript; the motion was seconded by the Fire department representative and carried with two members voting in favor and one abstention.

Why it matters: council chambers and town cameras are used by police and town staff for public-safety monitoring and evidence; members said better resolution could aid investigations but will use more storage. Council members asked staff to notify the clerk when an order is placed and to track where the purchase will be charged.

Council discussion and vote: speakers questioned price discrepancies in quotes — a vendor breakdown was described in the transcript and the motion itself included a purchase price recorded in the discussion. The chair and one other member voted yes; Council member abstained when asked on the record to declare the abstention. The council did not record a roll-call with full names in the transcript; votes are recorded by speaker label in the minutes.

Next steps: staff will place the order and notify the clerk for invoicing and bookkeeping. The town will monitor storage usage and may add hard-drive capacity if necessary.