Reading City Council on Monday discussed a proposed budget amendment that would shift funds within the police department and draw on the city’s general fund balance to cover increased costs tied to the department’s contract for body cameras.
The ordinance, introduced Aug. 12, would authorize transferring $525,000 to pay to renew an agreement with Axon Enterprise Inc., based in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The company supplies body-worn cameras; conducted electrical weapons, also known as Tasers; software; storage; and related hardware.
Council approved renewal of the contract in June.
According to a memo to council from city Finance Director Jamar Kelly, the increase will be covered by a combination of reallocations from existing police budget lines and $334,500 from the general fund balance.
Police department accounts for gas, maintenance, training, dues, consulting services and other items would be trimmed to make up the difference.
Councilwoman Melissa Ventura questioned why the price jumped so significantly.
Kelly explained that Axon’s pricing model often starts with favorable terms but escalates sharply in later years.
“This is an industry trend,” he said. “With Axon they lure you in with the initial contract and sweeteners, and then on the back end, the data storage is where they really make their money.”
City Managing Director Jack Gombach said there are only two major companies in the field, limiting competition, but stopped short of calling Axon a monopoly.
“I don’t want to use the M word,” he said. “But there’s only two real big players in this space. Draw your own conclusions.”
Ventura also asked whether future contract negotiations could avoid steep increases.
Kelly said the agreement is a five-year contract and noted that typically annual escalations should track inflation.
Ventura and other council members sought assurances the reallocation would not disrupt training and operations in the department.
Kelly acknowledged some training sessions would have to be delayed, but the delay would not negatively affect police performance.
“The training isn’t essential,” he said without elaborating. “They’ll need to wait till next year.”
Gombach said the administration prioritized ensuring continuity of camera coverage.
“We were very concerned about having cameras and then losing cameras so that forces us to deprioritize (training),” he said.
Ventura closed the discussion by saying she supports the use of body cameras, provided they are used effectively and appropriately.
Council is expected to vote on the budget amendment at its next regular meeting.