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Council considers trimming drone pilot funding to five months; staff to clarify infrastructure costs
Summary
Councilmembers proposed halving drone pilot funding this year (from 10 months to 5 months) while asking police and staff to confirm whether the $136,000 is purely FTE and to detail the separate ~$252,000 drone-dock infrastructure request.
Councilmember Dugan said the drone program has delivered benefits but recommended delaying or reducing the pilot: "My my thought was to to delay it... from 10 months to 5 months," proposing a half-year funding approach so the city could reassess after initial operations.
Councilmember Young and others questioned whether the $136,000 in the budget covered FTEs or infrastructure; staff confirmed the $136,000 is for the FTE component and that a separate ~ $252,000 line item is tied to a drone dock and other infrastructure. Michael Sanders (staff) told the council: "The 136,000 is related just to the drone pilot" and that he would follow up with the chief on precise infrastructure needs and how reductions in FTE would interact with infrastructure asks.
Outcome: council members signaled support for a 0.5-year funding adjustment as a provisional approach and asked staff and the police chief for detailed cost options, including what infrastructure could be delayed without undermining safety or program quality.
