Plano Flock Cameras Coming Down; Council Approves $841.6M Budget

By R.J. Morales

PLANO — Plano’s Flock cameras are coming down.

City Manager Mark Israelson confirmed during Monday night’s City Council meeting that funding for the license plate reader cameras had been rescinded and the city’s contract with Flock had expired.

“Flock cameras will be removed from Plano,” Israelson said.

It was one of several developments from Monday’s meeting, where the council adopted an $841.6 million operating budget and residents again pressed city leaders about AI data centers.

Flock contract has expired

Kyle McGhian raised the Flock cameras during public comments, urging Plano to remove the automated license plate readers over surveillance and privacy concerns.

He pointed to recent decisions in nearby Wylie and Princeton. Wylie voted unanimously in August not to renew its Flock contract, with the cameras expected to be removed when the agreement expires. Princeton voted earlier this month to discontinue its automated license plate reader program.

“Turns out that mass surveillance can be curtailed and that all it takes is some political willpower,” McGhian said.

After McGhian finished speaking, Israelson told the council that Plano was no longer under an active contract with Flock and that the cameras would be removed.

Connor Boykin, who spoke next, identified himself as a member of DSA North Texas and Revolutionary Front DFW. He had also prepared remarks criticizing Flock cameras.

“Off the cuff, that’s good news to hear that they’re being removed from Plano,” Boykin said.

Boykin continued with his prepared remarks, calling the cameras “mass surveillance” and arguing that automated license plate readers can be misused. He said he had noticed Flock cameras appearing around Plano since early 2025.

The city did not say during the meeting why funding was rescinded, when the cameras will come down or whether Plano intends to use another automated license plate reader system.

Plano adopts $841.6 million budget

Council members approved an $841.6 million operating budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

Budget Director Karen Rhodes-Whitley told the council the figure covers appropriations across the city’s various operating funds.

Plano’s Community Investment Program totals another $289.8 million. The CIP covers capital projects funded through several different sources.

The city will keep its property tax rate at $0.4376 per $100 of taxable value, the same rate as the previous year. But Plano will collect more property tax revenue as property values and the tax base grow.

During the meeting, staff said the city expects to collect about $7.7 million more in property tax revenue than last year, with about $2.8 million coming from new property added to the tax rolls.

Plano’s no-new-revenue rate is $0.43322 per $100, below the rate adopted by the council.

City budget documents estimate the median-valued homestead will increase from $452,109 to $464,574. At the adopted rate, the estimated city property tax bill on that home would rise from $1,978 to $2,033, an increase of about $55.

The adopted rate is divided between $0.3136 for operations and maintenance and $0.1240 for general obligation debt.

Residents again press city on AI data centers

Data centers came up twice during public comments, with residents asking where Plano stands on future projects and whether the city will consider a moratorium.

Shirley Lawson of Collin County GSA renewed her request for the council to place a proposed moratorium on new AI data centers and approvals on a future agenda.

Her comments included concerns about the water and electricity required to operate large data centers, along with several broader claims about the development of artificial intelligence. Those claims were not addressed by the council during the meeting.

Lawson also pressed Council Member Rick Horne Lavine over what she described as an earlier commitment to review information her group provided and discuss the possibility of a moratorium with other council members.

“You promised to share the information we sent you with your colleagues, run the idea of a moratorium up the flag pole, and committed to reporting back to us within 30 days,” Lawson said. “That was 10 weeks ago.”

McGhian raised the subject again later, asking Mayor John Muns for an update on what he called the city’s “internal review of data centers.”

No update was provided during the exchange.

TX3DNews has asked the city for more information about that review, including what it covers and whether officials are considering changes to how Plano handles future data center projects.