Memorial Field getting equipment upgrades
Taylor is joining a host of other Texas cities and putting discussions on hold about renewing or expanding police surveillance technology.
Without further discussion, Mayor Jim Buzan announced at the beginning of the Aug. 27 City Council meeting that an agenda item to consider extending the Police Department’s Axon surveillance contract was being tabled.
While that agreement includes body and patrol car cameras, a state grant could also add automatic license plate readers.
In other business at the meeting, council members heard about upgrades to fitness equipment at Memorial Field thanks to a donation and began consideration of a new fee schedule.
In addition, a hearing on the proposed tax rate and budget is set for Sept. 10.
Meanwhile, Taylor’s Axon body-worn camera contract will expire in November, and Police Chief Joseph Chacon is recommending a 10-year renewal agreement which will total $549,901.
The Axon vehicle camera contract expires in 2030, and Chacon has requested to add four cameras to cover the new patrol cars. The new annual licensing cost for all fleet cameras would be $13,100.
Chacon asked the council to approve an update in the software that would allow the cameras in the patrol cars to function as mobile automatic license plate readers, or ALPRs.
Although the Axon item was placed on the back burner, the issue of increased surveillance continues to generate discussion and controversy.
“These readers may have some real public safety benefits, but privacy, once given away, is extremely hard to get back,” said resident Tara Anders. “And if staffing is part of the problem, shouldn’t we talk about investing in that area before more cameras?”
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“These (automated license plate) readers may have some real public safety benefits, but privacy, once given away, is extremely hard to get back.”
— Tara Anders Anders said she wants answers from the council before any vote to expand the city’s camera usage. She shared concerns about safeguards, protocol failures and reported nationwide abuse including instances by members of law enforcement.
Other cities in the state, from Bandera and Boerne to Pflugerville, recently have paused or decided not to renew deals for ALPRs out of concerns about misuses or improper access to collected surveillance data.
Flock Safety is a major supplier of ALPRs.
Axon is a competitor to Flock in the residentsurveillance industry. Axon’s platform allows officers’ body-worn cameras to be used for livestreaming. Authorized users can livestream from any officer’s camera at any time, according to the company’s website. It was unclear whether that function is included in the Taylor contract.
The Police Department recently was awarded a grant from the Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority that pays for 80% of the cost to add the license plate reader function.
The city’s portion of the cost would be $3,024 for the first year, with the ability to opt out if the grant is not renewed in future years.
Meanwhile, various media outlets report Gov. Greg Abbott last week ordered state agencies to stop funding Flock cameras. Several cities utilizing the cameras have funded them through state money.
“To the extent that cities get any funding for those cameras, most of it comes from the federal government. To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras,” Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement.
Memorial Field gets more fit
Nonprofit Good Life Taylor is donating over $66,000 to add more fitness equipment at Memorial Field, 1213 Davis St. The proposed additions include bodyweight workout stations, such as parallel bars and plyometric steps, according to Betsy Schultz, Parks and Recreation Department director.
The council approved the purchase of the equipment at the Aug. 27 meeting. Schultz said the fitness station will be installed in the southwest corner of the field by the end of the year.
About half of the funds raised by Good Life Taylor came from an HDR Foundation grant. HDR Engineering works closely with the city on many of its capital projects.
A shade cover is coming at a later date.
“We very much appreciate the relationship we have with the city and the continued opportunities we have to collaborate over everything we can do to support Taylor,” said Good Life Taylor board member Nora Bryan.
In 2024, Good Life Taylor funded four pieces of equipment, which were installed at the southeast corner of the field.
Good Life Taylor raises funds in part through events such as the Good Life 5K, scheduled for Oct. 10.
Fee increases proposed
Chief Financial Officer Robert Powers introduced a new city fee schedule that increases the amount users will pay for services, including burial at Taylor City Cemetery and various fire inspection and plan reviews.
The schedule will be voted on at a future council meeting.
The biggest change would be an increase in the annexation development fee from a flat $1,000 to $1,000 per acre.
“If you have 100 acres and you go from $1,000 to $100,000, that’s significant,” said Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Cmerek.
For reference, the Project Mustang data center and power plant would annex 665 acres into the city if approved, adding $665,000 to city coffers if they are not grandfathered in at the previous flat $1,000 rate.
Water bills will also increase. The base monthly minimum charge would rise from $44.26 to $46.47 for properties on a 5/8inch or 3/4-inch meter. Those with a 1-inch meter size will increase from $73.93 to $77.63.
Larger meter sizes have larger base fee increases.
The majority of residents will not see an increase in the pergallon rate. Volumetric rates will increase for users above 6,000 gallons.
