Residents press council over cancelled July 4 celebration and Flock vehicle cameras

Several residents used the "citizens to be heard" period to press the council about this year’s scaled-back July 4 celebration and a line item paying for citywide vehicle-location (Flock) cameras.

Olivia Espinosa, who identified herself as a Leon Valley resident, told the council she was disappointed the city did not host a more substantial 250th-anniversary celebration and asked why $50,000 had been allocated to the invasive-sounding Flock camera system. "I found that quite a bit of the city budget does go to crime services…one very concerning item in the budget that I could not help to notice is the allocation of $50,000 for the invasive flock cameras now placed in our city," Espinosa said, adding residents lack oversight and clarity about what the cameras track and who can access the data.

Jaden Metcalfe, who said he has lived in Leon Valley his whole life, urged the council to consider staggered or admission-based events for future years so the city can afford a larger celebration for younger residents. City Manager Dr. Caldera explained staff had set $15,000 for a smaller July 4 event in the next fiscal year, and noted the large-scale event the council had discussed would cost "roughly, a $180,000 to host the event," a sum that would draw on reserves or require gating and ticketing to be feasible.

On the cameras, staff clarified funding and use rules: the $50,000 Flock line is paid from the Crime Control Prevention District fund and was not eligible to be repurposed for a July 4 celebration because those funds are restricted by statute and previous council authorization. Dr. Caldera also said the council authorized a two-year contract where year 1 was covered by a grant and year 2 would be charged to the city’s crime-control reserve if continued. Councilors encouraged public participation at an upcoming forum (July 25) to discuss summer-event options and trade-offs.