Active
Who approved this?
Approved by Baytown City Council.
The Baytown City Council approved the 2026-27 budgets for three special districts at a Thursday meeting covered by the Baytown Sun on August 14, 2026. The Crime Control and Prevention District budget carried 180,000 dollars for Flock Safety license plate readers. Councilman James Franco told the council the city sits under a five year contract with about two more years to run, and said the 180,000 dollars is owed whichever account pays it. City Manager Jason Reynolds said the city may cancel but would likely still owe the remaining balance and legal fees. The city page for the Crime Control and Prevention District lists a separate FY26 line of 184,000 dollars for the Flock Safety license plate recognition system next to 27,050 dollars for Vigilant Technologies, so the two published figures cover different budget years and both are named here instead of being merged. The debate followed the late July 2026 resignation of a Baytown police officer who was under internal and criminal investigation over use of the Flock system. Neither document gives a roll call tally, a camera count, a contract start date or a data retention period.
Renewal date pending
The contract end date has not yet been confirmed from records.
The money
- Contract amount: $180,000
- Term: 60 months
What happens next
Renewals are decided in public. Residents can attend the meeting, speak during public comment, and write to the office above through official channels. The ACLU publishes a model cancellation resolution officials can adapt.
Sources
- City of Baytown Crime Control and Prevention District page listing FY26 budget investments including the Flock Safety LPR system at 184,000 dollars (August 14, 2026) baytown.org
- Baytown Sun report on the council vote adopting the 2026-27 Crime Control and Prevention District budget with 180,000 dollars for Flock (August 14, 2026) baytownsun.com
Last verified: September 9, 2026. Something wrong? Request a correction.
The record
Baytown City Council approved it; the sources give no date. It passed as a council vote item. Baytown Police Department runs the cameras.
Public records put the cost at $180,000. The agreement spans 5 years. It was paid for via Baytown Crime Control and Prevention District, a voter approved sales tax district whose budget the City Council adopts.
The contract is active.
2 sources back this record; each is listed with its date under Sources. Last verified September 9, 2026. The Texas hub holds the state records; the tracker holds them all.
Cite this record
Who Approved This, "Baytown, TX Flock Contract," whoapprovedthis.org, accessed October 7, 2026, https://whoapprovedthis.org/city/tx-baytown/.
Related
Read on
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- Camera locations near Baytown: DeFlock (external, crowdsourced)
- Agency transparency portal, if published: transparency.flocksafety.com; aggregated at Eyes on Flock