League City voters will decide whether the police department keeps its network of automated license plate reader cameras after the City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 11, voted to place the question on the Nov. 3 ballot, according to the council's meeting agenda.
The Flock camera proposition, sponsored by Mayor Nick Long on first and final reading, asks: "Should the League City Police Department continue using automated license plate reader cameras at fixed locations on public roadways for law enforcement purposes?"
As we reported Aug. 10, Long pushed the referendum in response to resident concerns about the cameras. It marks the first referendum the city has called since updating its charter in 2025, Long told Community Impact.
"The issue I have is that we've mandated these safeguards, but I could not look you in the eye and tell you that they're being used," Long told Houston Public Media on Aug. 10.
The League City Police Department currently operates 55 Flock cameras, with 16 more in the TxDOT permitting process. Since July 2025, the cameras have aided 305 criminal investigations and helped recover roughly $1 million in stolen property, according to Click2Houston. The city shares camera data with the FBI but not with U.S. Border Patrol or ICE. Scanned plates are deleted after 30 days.
If voters reject the cameras, the city would break its Flock Safety contracts and remove the hardware. If voters keep them, Long said the city would require a case number tied to every search, multiple officer IDs to access the system, and a citizen-led audit committee.
Tax rate, sewer contracts and new ordinances
The council also considered a proposed fiscal year 2027 property tax rate of $0.356505 per $100 of assessed value, described as the no-new-revenue rate. Formal adoption is scheduled for the Sept. 8 council meeting.
On the consent agenda, the council took up two infrastructure contracts: a $416,388 construction agreement with Ram Rod Utilities LLC for the Davis Road 15-inch gravity sewer replacement, and a $56,313 engineering amendment with Sander Engineering Corporation for the Bay Colony 2 Parkside Lift Station relocation.
Three ordinances received second readings after passing 8-0 on July 28: Ordinance 2026-22 ordering the Nov. 3 general election for mayor and council Positions 1, 2, 6 and 7; Ordinance 2026-23 updating mobile food vendor regulations in Chapter 46 of the city code; and Ordinance 2026-24 establishing a Capital Improvements Advisory Committee under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395.
The council held a public hearing on Special Use Permit SUP-26-0005 for Magnolia Proof, a proposed cocktail bar at 4550 W. League City Parkway in the Magnolia Creek development. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval 5-0 on July 23.
What's on the Nov. 3 ballot
League City's Nov. 3 election will carry three contests: the general election for mayor and four council seats; a special election for the Position 3 vacancy left by council member Tom Crews; and the Flock camera proposition. A runoff, if needed, is set for Dec. 12.
The council's next regular meeting is Sept. 8, when members are expected to formally adopt the FY2027 tax rate.
