10-20-26 City Council Meeting

Sterling Heights City Council regular meeting, October 20, 2026. The council approved continuation of the city’s agreement with Flock Group, Inc. for its automated license-plate reader system at an annual cost of $84,100, fully offset by state forfeiture funds. The motion passed 4–3. The police chief and administration described safeguards, audits, data-sharing limits, and investigative uses; many residents and several outside speakers raised privacy, accuracy, cybersecurity, and vendor-trust concerns and urged the council not to renew. The presentation stated the city could exit with 30 days’ notice. The consent agenda was also approved. A snowplowing contractor contested the evaluation process for a proposed contract award, alleging it did not receive a site visit or a fair opportunity to explain its qualifications, and asked the council to postpone action; the transcript does not establish the specific disposition of that item beyond consent-agenda approval.

Other procurement-related updates included the city’s receipt of a new 32-foot, 28-passenger minibus, following a lease agreement approved by council in July; no purchase or lease amount was stated. The assistant city manager also outlined the upcoming county transit-mill renewal ballot proposal, but council took no action on it. The council separately adopted local property-maintenance amendments addressing sidewalk obstructions and parking outside approved commercial-lot spaces; this was a regulatory action, not a procurement decision.