League City City Council will decide Tuesday, Oct. 13, whether to create a citizen panel charged with auditing the city's Flock license plate reader cameras.

The council voted unanimously Sept. 22 to approve the first reading of the ordinance. Tuesday's meeting brings the second reading and final vote.

The proposed Citizen Data Privacy Committee would have five members: Mayor Nick Long, the city auditor and three residents appointed by council. Long and the auditor would serve as non-voting members. Long has also referred to the body as the "Citizen Audit Committee."

If approved, the committee would work alongside the city auditor to review how the League City Police Department (LCPD) uses the Flock system, whether officers follow established procedures and how camera data is stored and deleted. It would also review incidents of misuse, unauthorized access or security breaches, according to KGTX 7.

The panel would meet at least monthly during its first year. Citizen members would serve staggered two-year terms, according to Houston Public Media.

The city plans to seek applicants with backgrounds in IT and law enforcement, along with other community members. A call for applications will go out after the ordinance receives final approval, according to the city's website. No application deadline or process details have been announced.

At the Sept. 22 meeting, Council member Tom Crews pushed to ensure only the three citizen appointees would vote on committee matters. "If it's the citizens committee, we really ought to have all the citizens do the voting," Crews said, according to Community Impact. Crews is also challenging Long in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, mayoral race.

The oversight panel is tied to a broader debate over Flock cameras heading to the ballot. Proposition A on the Tuesday, Nov. 3, ballot asks voters a nonbinding question: should LCPD continue using automated license plate readers on public roadways? A "yes" vote favors keeping them. A "no" vote opposes them.

Long said on X on Monday, Oct. 5, that he proposed a resolution to act on the cameras within 72 hours if voters reject them. The resolution would direct the city to disable or cover all cameras and begin unwinding the Flock Safety contract, as we reported Oct. 7. Whether that resolution appears on Tuesday's agenda could not be confirmed from public records.

Long said in the Herald's Oct. 7 report that the committee would review all Flock data access regardless of how the Nov. 3 vote turns out. If voters reject the cameras, the committee would dissolve after conducting a final audit.

As of an Aug. 11 ABC 13 report, the city operated 55 Flock cameras, with 16 more awaiting Texas Department of Transportation permits. The cameras had aided police in 305 investigations and helped recover roughly $1 million in stolen property since July 2025.

Tuesday's meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Council Chambers, 200 W. Walker St. A work session starts at 5 p.m. Residents can attend in person, watch live on the city's Facebook page or catch replays on Channel 16. Anyone wishing to speak must sign up on a sheet outside the chambers before the meeting and state their name and home address.