ROTHBURY — The Rothbury village council unanimously turned down an offer from the Oceana County Sheriff's Department to participate in a three-month free trial with automated Flock security cameras during its regular meeting Tuesday night.
The council, as well as police chief Ethan Walker, gave several reasons for its decision not to participate. From a financial perspective, the council felt the deal made little sense because the department made clear it would not be financing use of the cameras, which cost close to $3,000 per year per unit to operate, beyond the free trial period. The costs include cloud-based storage and maintenance, and the cameras capture vehicle information, including license plates.
Walker added that the information captured by the cameras, which store information for 30 days, would be accessible by federal law enforcement entities. He said with the migrant population in the county and recent concerns about the U.S.'s deportation of immigrants, participating in the program gave him pause "personally and professionally."
The council unanimously approved its participation in this summer's Montague schools meal distribution program. It was noted that meals will not be distributed June 17, the week of the Electric Forest festival, but all other scheduled Tuesdays will again feature meal pickup.
The upcoming Czarny Park improvements were briefly discussed as well, as the council unanimously approved the terms of the state Department of Natural Resources grant that will in part fund the improvements (the village is required to provide matching funds). The project is not expected to begin construction for another year, as several steps still need to be completed, including vendor selection and other "red tape" items, said council member Denise Kurdziel.
