League City Council voted Tuesday, Oct. 13, to require city staff to disable all Flock license plate reader cameras within 72 hours if voters reject them on Nov. 3.
The resolution, first reported by Houston Public Media, transforms what had been a nonbinding advisory referendum into an enforceable commitment. Council members had originally planned to review the election results before deciding the cameras' fate. Council Member Courtney Chadwell called the November vote "a city-wide straw poll" when the referendum was placed on the ballot in August.
Mayor Nick Long said he placed the resolution on the agenda to show residents their votes would carry real weight.
"I just wanted to show this as a commitment that we will get these cameras down within 72 hours, whether we bag them or whether we cut them all down," Long said.
Under the resolution's text, the city manager must direct the camera vendor to remove the devices from public roadways within 72 hours of the official vote canvass. If full removal cannot happen that fast, staff must cover or bag the cameras to prevent them from capturing license plate images until they are taken down. The resolution also directs the city manager to identify Flock cameras installed by homeowners' associations within city rights-of-way and notify those associations the cameras must be removed.
The resolution takes effect automatically if a majority of votes on Proposition A are "no." No further council action would be needed.
Staff would also review the city's contract with Flock Safety and pursue amendments or termination. The resolution directs staff to develop recommendations for redirecting freed-up funds to alternative public safety measures based on community input.
Long had signaled this direction months earlier. At the Aug. 11 council meeting where members voted 6-1 to place the referendum on the ballot, Long told KGTX 7: "Even though it is nonbinding, I think it would be very foolish not to listen to the will of the people after they go out and vote for something."
Council Member Chad Tressler cast the lone dissenting vote on the original referendum in August. He said at the time he opposed holding referendums on matters of public safety and "matters of liberty and rights," according to Community Impact.
If voters choose to keep the cameras, a citizen-led oversight committee will take effect. Council unanimously approved the first reading of that ordinance on Sept. 22, according to Community Impact. The five-member body would include three citizens appointed by council, the mayor and the city auditor. The mayor and auditor would serve as non-voting members. The committee would review audit reports on the Flock system, consider public concerns and recommend privacy protections.
If voters reject the cameras, the committee would dissolve after a final audit, according to city documents.
The League City Police Department (LCPD) began using Flock cameras in December 2022 and has 55 installed throughout the city. The cameras capture license plate images and store them for 30 days before automatic deletion. LCPD shares camera data with the FBI but not with U.S. Border Patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a department social media post cited by Community Impact.
Houston Public Media reported that Flock Safety did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Early voting on Proposition A runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 30 at locations including League City Annex at 174 Calder Drive, The Crossings at 255 Egret Bay Blvd. and Hometown Heroes Park at 1001 E. League City Pkwy.
