Flock cameras dominate Livonia council meeting as residents line up to speak; council keeps issue in Public Safety committee
LIVONIA — 10/15/2026
Council also asks for an ordinance moving residential quiet hours to 10 p.m., denies a sidewalk waiver on a 3–3 tie, and overrides staff to hand the park mowing contract to the lowest bidder.
A packed audience turned out Monday for the Livonia City Council's 2,050th regular meeting, with most residents there to speak about the city's Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras. No action was taken on the cameras themselves. A motion to move the topic from the Public Safety, Health and Environment Committee to the Committee of the Whole failed 1–5, leaving it with committee chair and Vice President Patrick Brockway, who said more than a dozen questions are still awaiting answers.
Seventeen speakers addressed Flock during the closing audience communication period, which ran roughly 33 minutes, and all opposed the cameras. Speakers cited FOIA records showing outside agencies searched Livonia's Flock data more than 1 million times in July and August, including searches with "immigration" and federal agencies listed as reasons. After the comments, Councilmember Brandon McCullough said he would ask Brockway and Councilmember Robin Persiconi to schedule another meeting "quick."
Six of seven members were present. President Kayleigh Reid said Councilmember Eileen McDonnell was at home recovering from surgery. Also present were City Attorney Eric Goldstein and City Engineer Todd Zilincik.
Key outcomes
Agenda actions
| Item | Description | Motion / Support | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | |||
| Minutes | Approval of the September 28, 2026 regular meeting minutes. | Ptashnik / Brockway | Approved 6–0 |
| Consent agenda (approved as one item) | |||
| 1. Election grant | Accept a $15,000 grant from the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, a nonpartisan organization, on behalf of the Election Commission. The money must be spent on five chosen standards: poll worker training, voter communication, community relationships, voter registration rolls, and funding and budgets. | Persiconi / Ptashnik | Approved 6–0 |
| 2. Promotional testing | Up to $35,000 to Empco of Troy (sole source) for FY 2026–27 promotional testing for police lieutenant, police sergeant and senior fire captain. Lieutenant candidates get a full assessment center (panel interview, role-play, in-basket exercise). | ||
| 3. Military leave | Extend the Reserve/National Guard duty benefit (Civil Service Rule 25.9) to all regular employees, not just first responders, to comply with Public Act 58 of 2026, which requires 26 paid days of military leave a year for first responders. Retroactive to July 23, 2026. | ||
| 4. City Hall ADA doors | $170,332 to Dynamic Glazing Systems of Detroit for two sets of interior and exterior ADA vestibule doors. DPW passed over the low bidder, Keystone Strategic Partners of Grand Blanc ($160,884.28), because it planned to use a subcontractor, which staff said could complicate warranty work. IDN Hardware of Livonia bid $182,928. | ||
| 5. Inkster Road | Intergovernmental agreement with Wayne County to resurface 1.38 miles of Inkster Road from West Chicago to Schoolcraft (Work Order 47238). Total cost about $2.68 million; Livonia's share is $137,601: $105,849 for construction and $31,752 for construction engineering. The city pays 4.54% of construction instead of 9.075% because the road borders Redford Township and its east half is under Wayne County jurisdiction. The city budgeted $175,000. The staff letter cites a $68,800 working-capital deposit; the agreement itself (Art. 7.1) lists $121,713. | ||
| Unfinished business – Law and Education Committee (Aug. 18, Sept. 14, Oct. 5) | |||
| 6a. Gas stations near water (CR 03-26) | Possible limits on how close new gas stations can be to bodies of water. Law said it believed the matter had been addressed; the committee wants more review. McCullough said the item grew out of the proposed Sheetz at Eight Mile and Newburgh and nearby waterways. | — | Remains in committee |
| 6b. 100-foot buffer (CR 05-26) | Gas station distance from public land under the 100-foot buffer rule. Previously handled by a Planning Director determination; committee wants more review. | — | Remains in committee |
| 6c. Car wash moratorium (CR 35-26) | 12-month moratorium on new car wash approvals. Removed as duplicative; Budzinski said moratorium language is now with the Planning Commission. | Ptashnik / Budzinski | Removed 6–0 |
| 6d. Non-emergency 911 fees (CR 51-26) | Possible fees for non-emergency 911 calls, aimed largely at senior and extended-care facilities that call the Fire Department because of staffing shortages. Law is working with Fire administration. | — | Remains in committee |
| 6e. Plymouth Road blight (CR 107-26) | Blighted and vacant businesses on Plymouth Road. Removed as duplicative; Budzinski said ordinance staff now have citation authority they lacked when the item was referred. | Ptashnik / Budzinski | Removed 6–0 |
| 6f. Data centers (CR 108-26) | Data center zoning. Removed as duplicative; a proposed ordinance is with the Planning Commission and is being revised after public hearing comments. | Budzinski / Ptashnik | Removed 6–0 |
| 6g. Noxious weeds (CR 128-26) | Ordinance changes to protect native-plant gardens and meadows from weed enforcement. McCullough said he believes a committee meeting is set for November 9 and asked Goldstein to share materials residents can review beforehand. | — | Remains in committee |
| 6h. Lighting (CR 130-26) | Updating the lighting ordinance for LED brightness and color. Also expected on the November 9 agenda. | — | Remains in committee |
| 6i. Noise ordinance (CR 253-24) | Refer to Law to draft an amendment moving the start of residential quiet time from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. | Ptashnik / Brockway | Referred 6–0 |
| 6j. E-bikes, scooters, golf carts (CR 200-26) | Referral to the Law and Police departments for a report and recommendation on regulating e-motos and e-bikes and protecting pedestrians and riders, including a review of Michigan law. Goldstein had cautioned that state preemption may limit local rules. | Budzinski (likely) / (seconder unclear on recording) | Referred 6–0 |
| 6k. Fence mesh (CR 184-26) | Whether mesh attached to an existing fence counts as a prohibited second fence. A future meeting with Ordinance, Inspection and Law is planned. | — | Remains in committee |
| Unfinished business – Public Safety, Health and Environment Committee (Oct. 1) | |||
| 7a. Flock cameras (CR 284-26) | Motion to move the topic to the Committee of the Whole. | McCullough / Ptashnik | Failed 1–5; remains in Public Safety committee |
| Unfinished business – other items | |||
| 8. Sidewalk waiver | Angelo Mauti asked to waive sidewalks for new homes at 15235, 15251, 15273 and 15287 Fairlane (NW ¼ of Section 21). Engineering recommended denial, citing existing sidewalk north from Lyndon and along Five Mile. | McCullough / Ptashnik (motion to approve waiver) | Failed 3–3; waiver denied |
| 9. Police vehicles | Waive sealed bids and buy three unmarked vehicles through MiDEAL state pricing: two 2027 Dodge Durango GTs from LaFontaine CDJR Lansing ($49,836 and $39,911) and a 2027 Chevrolet Traverse from Todd Wenzel Chevrolet ($42,971), totaling $132,718. Includes a $45,870 budget amendment offset by an insurance payout for a totaled vehicle. | Ptashnik / McCullough | Approved 6–0 |
| 10. Park mowing | Award one-year 2027 mowing of parks, cemeteries and fire stations to Russell Landscaping Inc. ($84,518). DPW had recommended Teddy's Lawn & Landscape for two years. Paradise Garden Landscaping's bid had no bid bond. | Persiconi / (seconder unclear on recording) | Approved 4–2 |
| New business | |||
| 11. Easement – Levan Road | Sanitary sewer easement at 10000 Levan Road from Jason Promo and Katherine Baessler, tied to the Baci Estates development (NE ¼ of Section 32). No payment. | McCullough / Persiconi | Approved 6–0 |
| 12. Easement – Parkdale | Sanitary sewer easement at 36125 Parkdale Avenue from Brian Tregoning, also tied to Baci Estates. No payment. | McCullough / Brockway | Approved 6–0 |
| 13. Easement – Seven Mile | 184-square-foot water main easement at 39200 Seven Mile Road from Livonia Seven Mile, LLC, tied to the CAVA development (SW ¼ of Section 6). No payment. | McCullough / (seconder unclear) | Approved 6–0 |
| X-item (added late; rules suspended 6–0 on a Ptashnik/Brockway motion) | |||
| X1. Transportation asset plan | Certify the 2026 Transportation Asset Management Plan required every three years under Public Act 325 of 2018. The plan covers 373.99 miles of city roads (60.52 major, 313.47 local), two bridges (Newburgh over the Rouge River and Hubbard over Bell Creek), culverts and traffic signals. The 2027 road program is about $10.35 million. The state deadline was October 1; the resolution says the report was submitted on time. | (maker unclear on recording) / Persiconi | Approved 6–0 |
Roll call votes
McDonnell was absent for every vote. "Y" = aye, "N" = nay.
| Vote | McCullough | Budzinski | Persiconi | Ptashnik | Brockway | Reid | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 28 minutes | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| Consent agenda (1–5) | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| 6c Remove car wash moratorium | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| 6e Remove Plymouth Road blight | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| 6f Remove data centers | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| 6i Noise: 10 p.m. quiet time | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| 6j E-bikes referral | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| 7a Flock to Committee of the Whole | Y | N | N | N | N | N | 1–5 fail |
| 8 Sidewalk waiver | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N | 3–3 fail |
| 9 Police vehicles | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| 10 Mowing to Russell Landscaping | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | 4–2 |
| 11 Levan easement | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| 12 Parkdale easement | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| 13 Seven Mile easement | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| Suspend rules | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
| X1 Transportation asset plan | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6–0 |
Significant moments
Dispute over when residents could speak about Flock
At the start of audience communication, Reid told residents they could not speak on agenda items, including Flock, during the opening comment period. She said they could speak if a motion came out of the committee report, or otherwise at the end of the meeting. Resident Steve King objected, arguing that committee items were not on the consent agenda and calling the ruling "illegal." Reid said she had consulted the Law Department beforehand. King argued the ruling would hold residents to two minutes if a motion came up, instead of the three minutes allowed at the start of the meeting.
When McCullough's motion did come, Reid asked Goldstein for guidance on the scope of comment. He advised that speakers be limited to whether the item should move to the Committee of the Whole, and that Flock in general could be discussed for three minutes at the end. Points of order were raised from the dais when speakers strayed into the merits of the cameras.
The Flock committee report
Brockway summarized the October 1 committee meeting, which ran from 7 p.m. to 9:17 p.m. with 39 people signed in. Livonia police representatives, the Livonia Police Officers Association president and Flock representative Mike Ducharme attended. Residents raised data storage, third-party and federal access, the Fourth Amendment, misuse in other cities, misreads and the number of Livonia convictions tied to Flock. Police described cases the cameras helped solve and said the department cut data retention from 30 to 14 days. Brockway said he received "a large info dump" from residents the day of the meeting.
Debate on moving the issue
McCullough said the Committee of the Whole would signal to the community that "this is a big deal" because it requires the full council, and compared it to last year's millage debate. Ptashnik, who seconded "for the sake of the discussion," said moving the item would mean "starting fresh." Budzinski said waiting for all seven members could lengthen the timeline. Persiconi said standing committees are the appropriate place. Brockway said he would support a move later, once McDonnell returns and outstanding answers arrive.
Residents speaking on the motion were mixed. Some backed the move as a way to get the full council's attention. One objected that committee meetings are not televised; he was told from the dais that the Committee of the Whole is not televised either. Others urged ending the contract outright.
McCullough's closing remarks
Before adjournment, McCullough referenced FOIA data sent to council by the Leather family, reading a figure of 15,374 searches by the Texas Department of Public Safety. He called it "geofencing at its finest," compared it to what he described as a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling against cell-tower geofencing, and said he would work with Brockway and Persiconi to schedule another meeting quickly.
Mowing contract debate
Ptashnik said the Russell bid would save about $12,000 next year, and that a rebid for 2028 would have to come in above $104,000 to erase the savings. She asked whether an optional second-year renewal could be negotiated. A DPW representative said staff recommended the third-low bidder because one lower bid had no bid bond and another covered only 2027. The representative said staff believed the one-year price underestimated a program of 32 parks, three fire stations and two cemeteries. The representative put the total at about 125 acres; the bid documents say about 136.
Sidewalk waiver
McCullough and Ptashnik said they had driven by the Fairlane lots and that connecting a sidewalk there makes little sense now, though Ptashnik asked the builder to be open to future connectivity. Steve King said a fire hydrant on the property needs a hard surface for firefighters and estimated the city has waived about two miles of sidewalk. Resident Elijah Read suggested revisiting the issue after construction.
Council member updates
| Time | Member | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 1:03 | President Reid | Said McDonnell is at home recovering from surgery and the council wishes her well. |
| 21:27 | President Reid | New data for items 7 and 8. Upcoming: Committee of the Whole on Wednesday, October 21 at 7 p.m.; public hearing Monday, October 26 at 6 p.m. Warned of scammers posing as city officials and pointed residents to the staff directory at livonia.gov/directory. |
| 22:12 | Persiconi | Paid tribute to Jerry Touma, who died last week, describing him as a husband, father of two sons, Stevenson baseball coach, realtor and fixture in local baseball, where he served as a coach, director and president. She called him "Mr. Sports." Council held a moment of silence. |
| 23:43 | Budzinski | Said composting got her into local government. Livonia joined Make Food Not Waste last year, and a community food-scrap drop-off pilot at the Glendale site will start in 2027, possibly expanding to parks. Promoted the Friends of Greenmead spaghetti dinner (Wednesday, October 14, 4–7 p.m., $15), supporting restoration of the boarded-up Nankin Mills School at Greenmead, and the Livonia Rotary Clubs' spaghetti dinner (October 28, 5–7 p.m., $20) supporting polio eradication. |
| 26:39 | Ptashnik | Welcomed Sarah O'Donohue, joining the dais for the first time, thanked Steve Ray for the "leave the leaves" information and asked him to email her the program, and thanked the evening's poet. |
| 27:16 | McCullough | Attended a community repair event at the former Sears property with his daughter, where volunteers fixed vehicles and bicycles. Rode in the Clarenceville High School homecoming parade for the third year. Promoted the Seedlings Braille Books for Children online auction (October 19–22), which includes dinner at Coach's Corner with him, Bill Joyner and Westland Mayor Kevin Coleman. |
| 2:03:24 | McCullough | Closing remarks on Flock FOIA data; said he will push for another committee meeting soon. |
Public comment
Times are from the meeting video. Names are given as stated at the podium; home addresses are omitted.
Opening audience communication (non-agenda items, 3 minutes)
| Time | Speaker | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 2:27 | Steve King | Objected to the ruling on Flock comments (see above). Said the Parks and Recreation Commission took no action on his request to lift his more-than-yearlong ban from the Senior Wellness Center and Recreation Center, which he called a First Amendment violation, and asked Brockway to take it up. Said the 372-page packet is too long and urged more frequent meetings. |
| 6:09 | Robert | Urged residents to vote, saying he believed early voting starts October 24, and criticized the Trump administration on Iran, tariffs, NATO, Russia, immigration and a reported DHS search of Rep. Ilhan Omar's home. |
| 9:17 | Steve Ray, Six Mile Road | Wild Ones member. Asked Livonia to follow Royal Oak, Northville and Ypsilanti in encouraging residents to "leave the leaves" for pollinators through newsletter or social media education, without changing leaf pickup. |
| 11:34 | Bob Hauser, Hubbard | 39-year resident. Told the weed ordinance is on the agenda, he instead spoke on biodiversity loss and urged programs such as the Mayors' Monarch Pledge and Bee City USA. |
| 14:37 | Melanie Tolan, Minton Street | First council meeting. Supported leave-the-leaves; said she was fined for not mowing while waiting on insurance after a tree crushed her garage in May. |
| 15:34 | Lori | Criticized approval of a car wash at Six Mile and Haggerty next to a historic cemetery and meeting house, saying it conflicts with Parks and Recreation's August call for volunteers to restore historic grave markers. |
| 17:41 | Stacy Rosina Newton, Oporto Street | Started a "poetry corner," reading two original poems on vulnerability and a cool morning. |
| 20:35 | Frank McDermott, Rayburn Street | Said Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan's lifetime ban of Steve King from city buildings for trespassing does not fit the offense. |
Comments on agenda items (2 minutes)
| Time | Speaker | Item | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46:01 | Robert Harris, Farmington Road | 6i Noise | Asked whether the change applies only to residential areas; told yes. |
| 50:08 | Johannes Kenwood (also recorded as "Johan Heywood"), Sunnydale | 6j E-bikes | Disabled Iraq War veteran; asked council to remember veterans who rely on e-bikes and scooters to get around. |
| 50:42 | Stacy Rosina Newton | 6j E-bikes | Asked council members to speak louder, more clearly and more slowly; thanked Budzinski for clarifications. |
| 1:04:43 | Johannes Kenwood | 7a Flock | Supported the Committee of the Whole; cited a reported 4% misread rate and Flock's removal of officer names and plate numbers from network audit reports. |
| 1:06:48 | Elijah Read | 7a Flock | Concerned about delay until McDonnell returns; leaned supportive once told attendance is not mandatory. |
| 1:07:53 | Steve King | 7a Flock | Said committee meetings are not televised and the issue should be discussed on camera. |
| 1:09:14 | Jason Dye | 7a Flock | Read the Fourth Amendment; called Flock unconstitutional. Interrupted on point of order. |
| 1:10:39 | Unidentified speaker | 7a Flock | Asked whether meetings are televised and urged suspending rules for broad public discussion. |
| 1:11:37 | Mark Ayres | 7a Flock | Supported faster action and said the Flock representative should not be invited back. |
| 1:14:29 | Steve King | 8 Sidewalk | Opposed the waiver, citing the fire hydrant; said the city has waived about two miles of sidewalk through past waivers. |
| 1:15:49 | Elijah Read | 8 Sidewalk | Supports walkability; suggested reassessing in six months. |
| 1:16:44 | Stacy Rosina Newton | 8 Sidewalk | Asked the reason for the waiver. |
| 1:19:34 | DPW representative | 10 Mowing | Explained the staff recommendation (see above). |
| 1:21:18 | Steve King | 10 Mowing | Supported the low bid. |
| 1:22:05 | Stacy Rosina Newton | 10 Mowing | Suggested native landscaping and less frequent mowing to cut costs and support habitat. |
Closing audience communication (3 minutes)
| Time | Speaker | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1:30:40 | R.J. Dershowitz | Co-founder of an anti-Flock group in Wayne County. Said 10 metro Detroit communities, including Westland, Madison Heights, Milford, South Lyon, Lincoln Park and Ferndale, dropped Flock in six months. Cited misuse elsewhere, including an Albany, N.Y., investigator's 3,000-plus searches of an ex-girlfriend's plate, a misread stop in Sherwood, Ark., and cameras reactivated in Littleton, Mass. Cited an Electronic Frontier Foundation analysis of vague search reasons. |
| 1:33:56 | Elijah Read | Said a resident's FOIA audit for June and August found 17% of access came from Texas police through the national search feature. Disputed claims at the October 1 meeting about video capture and hacking. |
| 1:36:58 | Mike Ferguson | Said Flock's AI lets police infer routines and associations without a warrant; asked the cost of exiting the contract and suggested automatic recurring FOIA requests. |
| 1:40:04 | Emma Erickson, Colorado | Cited officers in Athens-Clarke County, Ga., and Indianapolis accused of using Flock to stalk partners; said 14 days of retention is too long. |
| 1:41:01 | Josie Leather | Presented FOIA'd July–August network logs (also emailed to council): over 1 million outside searches of Livonia's data, with "immigration" listed 218 times in July and 181 in August, missing persons 61 times in July, Midwest HIDTA 30 times, and reasons referencing the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, ICE and 287(g), though Livonia has no 287(g) agreement. |
| 1:43:49 | Paul Garrett, Auburndale | Said the Flock representative contradicted himself on national search and what the cameras capture; cited a federal court ruling against warrantless Flock-based searches. Asked council to remove all cameras and not replace them with Axon or similar systems. |
| 1:45:49 | Vince Belanger, Deering | Said Livonia's transparency portal does not list which agencies receive its data (Grand Rapids shares with about 1,600). Said at least 50 officers nationwide, including three in metro Detroit, have been accused of misuse. |
| 1:47:18 | Heather Fowler | Disputed police statements that photos are not surveillance. Noted Madison Heights ended its Flock use and two Baldwin County, Ga., deputies were charged with misuse. |
| 1:48:48 | Betsy Calhoun, Kimberly Oaks | Urged keeping crime technology local, such as CCTV not stored in the cloud. |
| 1:49:38 | Mark | Said police have shown they cannot handle the technology and it should be banned. |
| 1:50:30 | Jason, Rosedale Gardens | Said opposition covers all AI-based ALPR vendors, including Axon and Motorola. |
| 1:51:11 | Melanie Tolan | Worried officers will rely on AI over investigative skills. Said her FOIA showed one officer ran 136 searches in two weeks and that three officers accounted for an estimated 60% of searches. |
| 1:53:33 | Peter Budzinski, Riverside | Raised a reported case of hackers pulling a camera down and accessing its locally stored data, which he said was weakly encrypted; said he passes 16 cameras on his commute. |
| 1:55:02 | Cindy Fleming | Called 1 million searches in two months "misuse"; urged cancellation. Promoted the Seedlings auction and asked for a look at debris-blocked sidewalks on Farmington Road at the overpass. |
| 1:58:08 | Matthew, Shadyside | Said the city should ban all ALPRs and pay to break the contract if needed. |
| 1:58:47 | Keith Davis | Most concerned about corporate and federal access to profiles of residents' movements; asked council not to bring in other vendors. |
| 2:00:16 | Jason Dye | Read George Washington, the Supremacy Clause and the First and Fourth Amendments; said an attorney will pursue a class action against cities using Flock and called for recalls. |
Frank McDermott approached again but was told he had already spoken and could return at the study meeting that followed.
What's next
- October 21, 7 p.m. – Committee of the Whole.
- October 26, 6 p.m. – Public hearing, followed by the next regular meeting.
- November 9 (expected) – Law and Education Committee on the native plant/noxious weed and lighting ordinances.
- To be scheduled – Follow-up Public Safety committee meeting on Flock; noise ordinance draft from Law; e-bike report from Law and Police.
Sources: City of Livonia revised agenda packet for October 12, 2026 (livoniami.portal.civicclerk.com) and the meeting video.