Twin Falls City Council adopted Ordinance #2026-008, the fiscal year 2027 budget, on Monday, August 24, 2026. All seven members were present: Mayor Jason Brown, Vice Mayor Craig Hawkins, and Council Members Christopher Reid, Nathan Murray, Cherie Vollmer, Grayson Stone, and Ruth Pierce.
Despite strong citizen opposition to Flock mass-surveillance that jammed the City Council chambers on July 27, the Council voted to keep the contract in place. The very low public attendance at the August 24 meeting didn’t help sway the Council in our favor, either. Deflocking Twin Falls is going to require a marathon of public opposition, not a one-time sprint of spouting off.
Both the City Council that kept the Flock contract in place and the Twin Falls Police Department that favors ongoing Flock funding need to see and hear unrelenting resistance from the very citizens they say they serve.
What Happened
Routine items passed 7-0: consent calendar, a South Well #5 / Pheasant PRV change order up to $900,000, Harmon Park benches paid from lighting-project savings, an ISDA agreement amendment, a $1,306,787 Knife River airport contract, a River Hawk Plaza PUD amendment, and $342,868 in forgone revenue for FY2027 operations.
Yes: Brown, Hawkins, Reid, Murray, Vollmer, Stone, Pierce.
No: none.
Public comment: Maria Hernandez spoke about victims of the August 1 In-N-Out shooting. Sandi King and Jeff Nelsen spoke against Flock cameras. Noah Heck spoke about skate-park work.
Hilber Nelson of MVLA was one of three presenters when the Council opened the mic for public comments. He read aloud several news reports on the hazards of Flock cameras and the growing opposition happening around the country. Here are but a few:
- How Flock Cameras Are Beginning to Track Political Beliefs
- Police Are Deploying 60 MPH Flock Drones To Read Your License Plate From The Sky
- Flock Is Losing Dozens of Contracts as Controversy Grows
The Flock Votes
A motion to suspend Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR / Flock) until the Idaho Legislature adopts rules and penalties failed 2-5.
Two Council members, however, stood for freedom and privacy.
Thank you Grayson Stone and Chris Reid.
A follow-up motion to implement any new state license-plate-reader law within seven days of the governor signing it, and leave the current contract open to council-approved changes, passed 7-0.
Yes: Brown, Hawkins, Reid, Murray, Vollmer, Stone, Pierce.
No: none.
Council then accepted the current Flock contract with three revisions: turn off the AI learning component; keep national search off unless police need it for a local crime; authorize the chief to sign. That motion passed 6-1. The minutes do not name the one no vote.
Ordinance #2026-008, the FY2027 budget, then passed 7-0.
Yes: Brown, Hawkins, Reid, Murray, Vollmer, Stone, Pierce.
No: none.
Why This Matters
The budget is adopted. Flock stays. A full pause lost. Limits on AI training and national search are not the same as taking the cameras down.
MVLA is not giving up and neither should you. This battle for your freedom and privacy is won by ever-vigilant citizens keeping up the pressure.
Call to Action
Check here for updates. Share this with friends and neighbors. Together we win.
Next council meeting: Monday, September 8, 2026, 5:00 p.m., Council Chambers, 203 Main Avenue East. Recording: tfid.org.
