Mayor Pro Tem Goodrich was determined to keep community comment at fifteen minutes total but the following is what Tara McGovern prepared for today’s community comment and what they were delivering at the podium until Mayor Pro Tem cut them off.

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Regarding the Proposed Policy for Flock AI Surveillance

On December 1, 2024, Elbert County, CO canceled their mass AI surveillance contract with the company Flock.

On January 14, 2025, at the Coralville city council fiscal year budget work session, Coralville police department’s Chief Kyle Nicholson placed “license plate recognition system” in a paragraph listing a total of seven budget increases.

On February 4, 2025, Eureka, CA city council canceled their contract with Flock.

On March 1, 2025, Gig Harbor, WA city council canceled their contract with Flock.

On April 22, 2025 in Coralville’s fiscal year 2026 budget public hearing, Coralville Finance Director Ann Hester repeated Chief Nicholson’s list from January 14, 2025 of seven departmental budget increases. 

On May 6, 2025, Denver, CO city council canceled their contract with Flock.

On May 12, 2025, Coralville police Chief Nicholson signed a two-year $36,000 contract with Flock without having discussed any specifics with Mayor Foster or Coralville city councilors and without the public being informed in any significant way.

On June 3, 2025, San Marcos, TX city council canceled their contract with Flock. They still use ALPRs but have removed Flock cameras.

On June 6, 2025, Austin, TX city council chose not to renew their contract with Flock.

On June 24, 2025, Trevor Chandler, Director of Public Affairs for Flock, attended the Coralville city council work session. Work sessions are open to the public but are not streamed or shared on the city website like public city council meetings.

On June 25, 2025, an article published in local news acknowledged Coralville’s plan to join the Flock surveillance network and Coralville residents learned for the first time of this decision.

On July 8, 2025, nine members of the public spoke up at the Coralville city council meeting in opposition to Coralville joining the Flock network.

On July 25, 2025, Guthrie, OK city council canceled their contract with Flock.

On August 5, 2025, Oak Park, IL city council canceled their contract with Flock.

On August 6, 2025, Scarsdale, NY city council canceled their contract with Flock.

On August 20, 2025, ACLU of Iowa held a community briefing at the Coralville public library attended by Mayor Foster and Councilor Huynh about the constitutional concerns of the Flock network.

On August 26, 2025, Evanston, IL city council canceled their contract with Flock.

Also on August 26, 2025, public outcry against Flock continued at the Coralville city council meeting. Council introduced policy proposals for a contract that none of them have seen.

On August 28, 2025, a Coralville resident provided Mayor Foster and city councilors with the $36,000 two-year Flock contract obtained by requesting it from the City Clerk. This is the first time any of you had seen the contract.

On September 9, 2025, Sedona, AZ city council canceled their contract with Flock.

On September 23, 2025, the city of Coralville brought Flock VP of Government Affairs, Kam Simmons, to the Coralville city council meeting and council voted to keep the contract with Flock and add policies proposed at the August 26, 2025 meeting. As Flock is a shared data network with cooperating agencies all over the world, any policies that attempts to limit Coralville has no effect on the data that Coralville pours into the shared network.

On October 8, 2025, Eugene, OR city council voted to turn off their city’s Flock cameras.

On October 9, 2025, Hays County, TX canceled their contract with Flock.

Also on October 9, 2025 and also in TX, Lockhart city council canceled their contract with Flock.

On October 17, 2025, the Hillsborough, NC Board of Commissioners voted to terminate their Flock contract.

On October 20, 2025, Springfield, OR city council voted to turn off their Flock cameras.

On October 29, 2025, Mississippi City, MI city council voted to disable gunshot detection, a Flock feature that has faced criticism for privacy violations and its use in mass surveillance.

On October 30, 2025, councilors in Brookline, MA voted to disable their Flock cameras.

On November 3, 2025, Redmond, WA city council voted to disable their Flock cameras.

On November 5, 2025, the Warrenton, VA city council, after listening to the concerns of their constituents about unregulated AI surveillance, voted to not pursue the use of Flock cameras.

On November 12, 2025, the Skamania County, WA sheriff’s office turned their Flock cameras off after a judge ruled that the data is public record.

Also on November 12, 2025, the city of Woodbury, OR announced that they would be disabling their Flock cameras.

On November 14, 2025, Ferndale, IL city council canceled their contract with Flock.

Today is November 25, 2025, and you will be voting on policies requested by residents to address you allowing us to be signed to a 2-year unregulated AI surveillance contract.

We asked for data retention limits that are in alignment with those adopted by the state of New Hampshire, intended to protect the privacy of the citizens while still allowing the use of ALPR systems. The policy you are voting on today recommends no such data retention limits.

In future annual budget discussions, which are drawing increasing interest from the public, we will continue to ask that you stop wasting our money endangering the most vulnerable people in our community using surveillance tools that do not make us any safer.

A Request for a Remote Meeting Option

There are 24 council meetings in 2025. So far this year, there have only been 8 council meetings that all of our councilors were in attendance.

Two of our councilors have missed six of the 21 meetings that we’ve had so far this year.

Councilors should have the option of attending meetings remotely when they are traveling. You have the technology infrastructure available to you. There is no reason not to join the rest of us in the year 2025.

Regarding Agenda Item 12; Nonprofit Funding

The Equal Protections resolution that Coralville City Council passed on October 14, 2025 indicates that budgetary priorities shall be reflective of the values of the City of Coralville, including our commitment to protecting the human rights and safety of all people, especially when such rights have been curtailed by government action outside of Coralville.

Please add Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund to your list of nonprofits that perform services to preserve and improve the peace, safety, health, welfare, comfort and convenience of Coralville residents.