FARMINGTON -- Farmington City Council unanimously gave its approval July 10 for police Chief Brian Hubbard to order 17 new Axon body cameras for $125,000, about $7,300 per camera.
In a memo to the council, Hubbard said the cameras are not a budgeted item but need to be ordered soon so officers will have them before the department's current service contract, called Technology Assurance Plan, expires in February.
Under this plan, Hubbard said the city is allowed to purchase 17 body cameras. The plan provides a time period where the cameras can be traded in on new cameras without any additional costs.
Sgt. Jimmy Brotherton, who has been researching the cameras, addressed the council about the request. He said the officers' current body cameras are being phased out and the department has to wait months when it turns in a camera to be repaired.
"To get these, we need to go ahead and order as quickly as we can. They are new and being rolled out," Brotherton said, adding the police department will continue to use the same TAPS service contract.
Council member Linda Bell said she fully supported the police department but wanted to go on the record that the purchase should have been in the 2023 budget.
"One hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. That's a lot of money, especially when it's not in the budget," Bell said.
Brotherton responded that the city would not have to pay for the cameras until they are received, which will probably be in January. The purchase can be in next year's budget, Brotherton said.
Mayor Ernie Penn pointed out city officials are not going to put the city in any financial harm taking care of things coming up.
"We have plenty of reserves," Penn said, referring to information in the council packet about the city's reserve funds.
The city's June financial report shows the city has nine Arvest Bank checking accounts totaling $5.7 million, an account at First Security with $2 million and two certificates of deposit at First Commercial Bank with about $2 million each.
In addition, Penn reminded council members, the city has a separate grant account set aside from federal covid funds that can be used for needs that come up. The council last year voted to use $1.4 million in covid funds to pay $1.4 million in police salaries for 2022 and then transfer $1.4 million from the police department to the grant account.
Brotherton said the company is working with the city to help lower costs in other ways. An an example, it lowered trhe costs of tasers and is providing a free docking station, used to upload data from the body cameras.
In other action, the council voted to rezone property at 11295 N. Highway 170 from A-1 (agriculture) to RE-2 (residential estate) at the request of Nick Limbird. The Planning Commission recommended approving the request at its June meeting. Limbird said he plans to divide the land into four residential lots.