Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Surveillance Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Galesville council votes to require Common Council approval before installing public surveillance systems
Summary
The Galesville Common Council unanimously approved a motion requiring Common Council approval before installation, activation or authorization of municipal security surveillance systems on stationary public property, directing staff to prepare a draft policy and ordinance for further consideration.
The Galesville Common Council voted unanimously on Feb. 12 to require Common Council approval before any municipal security surveillance system is installed, activated or otherwise authorized on stationary public property.
A motion by Alderperson Jean Seely, seconded by Dave Carlson, carried with five yes votes (Carlson, Grover, Larson, Seely, Swing). The council directed members to provide input to the clerk for a Committee of the Whole packet that staff will use to draft a policy and ordinance addressing oversight of surveillance systems.
City Attorney Dan Arndt had earlier advised the council that the mayor acted within his executive authority in coordinating with law enforcement on the recent license-plate reader (LPR) installation, but council members said they wanted formalized review and approval procedures going forward. The motion requires that the council explicitly sign off on future surveillance installations on stationary public property before they are installed or activated.
Council members framed the vote as a governance and transparency measure: members can submit language to the clerk ahead of the Committee of the Whole meeting to shape the proposed ordinance. The council did not adopt the ordinance itself on Feb. 12; it approved only the directive to prepare policy language for subsequent formal consideration.
