Finance committee recommends $19,500 allocation for co‑located live‑feed cameras, forwards to board

The Maple Bluff Finance Committee recommended that the village board consider allocating $19,500 from the infrastructure reserve for a three‑year deployment of live‑feed cameras co‑located with the village’s automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), subject to final board approval.

Committee member Christine Jaeger moved the funding recommendation and the committee took a roll‑call vote: Christine Jaeger — yes; Kevin O'Driscoll — yes; Jim Schiller — no. Jaeger said the committee was making money available for board discussion rather than final approval.

Tanner, village staff, described the reduced‑cost option on the table: a package that brings the original 10‑camera, $40,000 plan down to seven co‑located live‑feed cameras plus one pan‑tilt‑zoom (PTZ) camera at the marina, producing the $19,005 three‑year figure. Tanner explained the co‑location rationale is operational — to provide video context to complement ALPR still photos during investigations — and noted an option to cut costs further by removing the PTZ camera.

Opponents cautioned about the pace of technological change and remaining vendor questions. Committee member Jim Schiller said, “It scares me. I just don't think this is a good time to go in this,” citing evolving vendor practices and legal/regulatory uncertainty. Staff emphasized safeguards adopted since earlier discussions, including limits on ALPR sharing, strengthened internal audits, and a pending village council review of contract language with the vendor.

The committee’s recommendation will appear on the village board agenda for final action; the ALPR contract renewal was noted as a separate April agenda item.