League City's 55 Flock Safety license plate reader cameras will come down within 72 hours if voters reject them on Nov. 3.
The City Council voted unanimously at its Oct. 13 meeting to pass a resolution requiring city staff to disable or physically remove all fixed roadway cameras once the election results are certified, should a majority vote "no" on Proposition A. Mayor Nick Long proposed the measure after residents questioned whether the council would honor the nonbinding advisory vote's outcome.
"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, according to Houston Public Media.
The resolution goes beyond camera removal. It directs the city attorney and city manager to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety, issue removal notices for any homeowners' association cameras in municipal rights-of-way and reallocate remaining contract funds toward other public safety efforts, KGTX 7 reported.
Council Member Andy Mann, who said he personally supports the cameras, put it bluntly during the meeting: "If the citizens don't want them, we are going to rip them out of the ground."
The debate over Flock cameras has been a running issue in League City. Law enforcement officials have said the 55-camera system assisted in more than 300 criminal investigations and helped recover roughly $1 million in stolen property, according to KGTX 7. Critics have raised concerns about automated data collection and surveillance limits.
When the council voted in August to place the advisory question on the ballot, Long called it "I think, a perfect issue to take to the voters," telling KGTX 7 that "in a time where everything is hyperpartisan, this is really a nonpartisan issue."
The Oct. 13 resolution changed the stakes. While the ballot question remains technically nonbinding, the resolution creates an automatic enforcement mechanism that requires no further council action.
If voters approve keeping the cameras, the city will establish a citizen-led oversight committee. That panel would include three residents appointed by council members, the mayor and the city auditor. It would review audit reports on the Flock system and recommend privacy protections, according to Houston Public Media.
Early voting opened Monday, Oct. 19, and runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at locations across the city, according to the city's election notice.
At the same Oct. 13 meeting, the council also approved a $49.76 million construction contract for Pat Hallisey Park, as we reported Oct. 16. The 106-acre sports complex on the city's west side near Calder Drive and Ervin Street is projected for completion in 2028.
