If you’re new here and just learning about Flock, start with my op-ed last week.
As anticipated, Taos' 18 Flock Safety cameras are on two of the Town Council's agendas this week, and it's more significant than I originally thought.
Workshop Meeting, July 27
Agenda item 5a is "Overview of the Flock License Plate Reader (LPR) System by Police Chief Ronald Montez," thanks to the request of councilor Darien Fernandez.
This meeting is a workshop, so it's not a typical council meeting where decisions are voted on. It is open to public observation, but there's no public comment.
While you can't speak up at the meeting, you can still request council members to ask certain questions of Chief Montez, staff and fellow councilors. Their contact info is listed on the Town Council webpage (scroll down and click on each of their photos for email and phone numbers).
Town Council Workshop Meeting (Agenda Full Package)
12 p.m., July 27, 2026
Town of Taos Plaza Building
120 West Plaza, Taos, NM 87571
Regular Meeting, July 28 (Possible Flock Vote)
Flock is not specifically listed on this agenda, but it's my understanding that it is tucked away and out of sight with every other budget line item in agenda items 6a and 6b, respectively:
"Matters from Staff: Presentation of the 2026/2027 Fiscal Year Budget Summary (Town Manager Lupe Martinez)."
"Discussion, consideration, and possible approval of Resolution 26-52 adopting the 2026/2027 FiscalYear Final Budget for the Town of Taos (Finance Director Jonathan Montoya)"
I am new to reading and interpreting town documents, especially budgets, so please correct me if I misspeak (and I apologize if I do!). But here's what I understand.
The law enforcement budget is on page 60 of the agenda full package. The $58,831 under general ledger description 56010 (Software) includes Flock, which is not mentioned on this document:
But if you look at the FY 2026-2027 police department budget (which I received via a public records request) under Books, Periodicals & Software, the $58,831 budget line item includes:
$54,000 for “Flock Safety ALPR Renewal (18 cameras)”
and the remaining $4,831 slotted for a few other items.
(Note: I'm aware that the general ledger description number is different here and need smarter people than me to explain).
So if I'm understanding this correctly, this means that the renewal of another year of Flock is upon us rather quickly.
Speaking up now is paramount. As a matter of prudence, the public should request that council remove Flock from this budget, especially after the first in-depth discussion in years just one day prior.
If the town council really feels they want to continue hosting 18 mass surveillance cameras around town, they can vote on an individual agenda item to renew the contract and not hide behind a labyrinth of budget documents.
Town Council Regular Meeting (Agenda Full Package)
4 p.m., Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Town Council Chambers
120 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos, NM 87571
A Note About Budget Transparency
I was only able to put this together because I've been conducting public records requests over the last month, including for detailed line item budgets. I'm not sure if anyone could piece this together purely through council agendas, minutes, and packages, and if that's the case, I think we have a separate and serious transparency issue with how the town conducts its budget actions.
I'm not saying it's illegal (I just don't know enough about New Mexico's sunshine laws), but I am saying, as a matter of principle, the public should have access to line item budgets without having to request records or navigating a maze of previous meeting materials. Even if the police's line item budget was on a previous agenda, there is no obvious connection to the July 28 budget discussion and potential vote.
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Questions? Reach out to me, Zach Behrens, at [email protected].
For the Record: Since originally posted and emailed, this story has been updated slightly for clarity.