· Wausau, WI · Calls to end
Wausau, Wisconsin committee votes 5-0 to seek an immediate halt to the city's Flock cameras and an end to payments
Wausau's Public Health and Safety Committee voted 5-0 on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, to seek an immediate halt to the city's 20 Flock license plate cameras and an end to payments for them, Wausau Pilot & Review reported. The vote came before a packed council chamber, after the committee met in closed session with legal counsel on litigation strategy regarding termination of the city's contract with Flock Group Inc. Alder Kristin Slonski's motion sends two recommendations forward: one, referred to the Finance Committee, would strike the Flock appropriation from the 2027 and 2028 budgets; the other, referred to the City Council, would direct the police department to stop using all 20 cameras immediately and bag them so Flock cannot use them either. Slonski said the city has already paid about $150,000 under the five-year, $250,000 contract and that the money will not come back. The contract's Section 11.16 conditions payments on funds being appropriated and allows ending it on 30 days' written notice without penalty; Police Chief Matthew Barnes has told the Finance Committee he found no breach by Flock and no way out of the contract free of liability. Mayor Doug Diny included the $50,000 annual payment in his proposed budget, and the council adopts the 2027 budget in November. A committee recommendation is not a council decision.
Sources
- Wausau Pilot & Review (Oct. 19)
- City of Wausau Public Health & Safety Committee agenda (Oct. 19, 2026)
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