Lago Vista council votes to terminate Flock Safety contract immediately

The Lago Vista City Council voted unanimously Aug. 5 to terminate the city’s contract with Flock Safety, the vendor that supplies automated license‑plate reader cameras used by the police department.

Councilor Benefield moved for immediate termination and to pay any required removal fee; Councilor Chavarria seconded. “May I move to make a motion to effective immediately cancel contract with Flock and pay the termination fee,” Benefield said during the motion. The motion passed on a voice vote after extended public comment and presentations from civil‑liberties advocates and vendor representatives.

The vote followed a work session in which a privacy advocate and a Flock representative gave competing presentations about the legal and safety tradeoffs of license‑plate readers. Residents filled the council chamber and urged removal, citing Fourth Amendment and data‑security concerns; supporters described case studies in which the system aided investigations. Chief Ron Joy told council that police have other investigative tools but that ALPRs can shorten investigation times in critical cases.

Council did not record a roll‑call tally in the minutes; the meeting record states the motion passed unanimously. Staff and the city attorney were directed to execute termination steps, coordinate removal logistics, and report back to council on costs and next steps.

Background: the system had been installed under a 2022 contract. Residents and community groups had since pressed for greater transparency, audits, and legal assurances; an initiative petition to prohibit “mass digital surveillance” was also in circulation and has its own charter timelines.