OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Meeting - August 25, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, August 25, 2026
BodyAvondale, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, August 25, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 10:07

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Could get roll call for this meeting of Monday, August 24th.

0:05

And if we can get more um roll call, Marcella, I'd appreciate it.

0:09

Thank you.

0:09

Councilmember Conde.

0:12

Here.

0:13

Councilmember Garcia.

0:16

Here.

0:18

Councilmember Solario.

0:21

Here.

0:22

Councilmember Weiss.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Councilmember White.

0:27

President.

0:28

Vice Mayor Nielsen.

0:31

Here.

0:32

And Mayor Pineda.

0:34

Here.

0:35

Thank you, Marcella.

0:37

I believe we have two members of the public who uh wish to speak.

0:43

I know that we have some public comments that were submitted as well.

0:46

Um, but I believe there are only two speakers.

0:48

Am I correct?

0:49

Marcella.

0:50

Thank you, Mayor.

0:51

Yes, that is correct.

0:54

Okay.

1:02

I'm sorry.

1:04

You're cutting out, Marcella.

1:05

Yeah.

1:09

So we have several public comments that position the flock.

1:15

And I can make names.

1:17

Can you hear me?

1:19

Oh, yes, I can.

1:21

Uh, but you all kind of lie on my end.

1:24

Okay.

1:25

Zachary, I'll um the mayor will announce you when it's time for you to speak.

1:30

Um, but let me read the names of the individuals who submitted public comment.

1:35

So I have Michael Hoffman, Nicholas Carroll, Naya Smith, Michelle Cadall, and Peter Dunaway.

1:47

And their comments, Mayor, will be included in the minutes for today's meeting.

1:52

Thank you so much, Marcella.

1:54

I appreciate that.

1:55

So I'm just gonna go based on what I see here from the two speakers in no necessary order.

2:02

But first, uh, if I can have Zachary Markey, please uh feel free to present.

2:09

Hi.

2:10

Thank you.

2:11

Hi, good evening.

2:13

Thank you.

2:14

Good evening.

2:15

Um, firstly, I have sources for all the various claims I'll be making.

2:19

So if anyone wants them, just email me.

2:20

I could give my email address to whoever.

2:23

My name is Zach Markey.

2:25

I'm an ASU grad, a Brofi College prep grad, and I've grown up at Avondale.

2:29

My family moved to Witchfield Park in the 90s.

2:32

Recently, my fiancee and I moved back to Avondale.

2:35

We've loved the small town feel of the West Side, the walkability and how safe, beautiful, and clean the area is until now.

2:41

When I heard about Flock ALRPRs, ALPRs or automatic license plate readers.

2:47

My first thought was that the West Side citizenry who fancy themselves as modern cowboys would have resisted this overreach of not only the state itself, but a private third-party vendor who can manipulate or sell the data they're collecting.

3:00

Boy, was I wrong.

3:01

ALPRs sacrifice our constitutionally granted rights with the false promise of increased safety.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Surveillance Technology█████████████████████████████████████████████59%
Public Safety████████████████21%
Procedural███████████████20%
Summary of Proceedings

Avondale City Council Meeting - August 25, 2026

Note: The meeting transcript indicates a date of Monday, August 24th, conflicting with the provided meeting date of August 25, 2026. The summary below uses the specified date for the title, but the discrepancy is noted.

The Avondale City Council met on August 25, 2026, for a regular meeting. The agenda included roll call, public comments, approval of the consent calendar, and adjournment. Two members of the public spoke in opposition to the use of Flock automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) in Avondale, and five additional written public comments were submitted for the record. The council unanimously approved the consent agenda and then adjourned.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Zachary Markey (self-identified as an ASU graduate and Avondale resident) expressed strong opposition to Flock ALPRs, arguing that they constitute "anti-American and anti-police dragnet surveillance." He cited multiple concerns: lack of safeguards against officer abuse, ineffectiveness (citing a local murder case where the suspect fled despite high ALPR density), false arrests due to incorrect AI data (example of a Florida woman jailed for 13 days), security vulnerabilities (60 cameras left exposed online), and recent reports that Flock can now identify individuals without a license plate. He concluded that citizens do not want any ALPRs in Avondale.
  • Zachariah Shazada (age 13, Avondale resident) voiced concern about mass surveillance and privacy, stating that ALPRs track innocent people's movements without cause. He asked the council to consider removing Flock cameras and finding a safer, less invasive solution.
  • Written public comments were submitted by Michael Hoffman, Nicholas Carroll, Naya Smith, Michelle Cadall, and Peter Dunaway. Their full comments were entered into the minutes.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda was moved by Councilmember Conde and seconded by Councilmember Solorio. It passed unanimously by voice vote (all members present voted aye). No items were pulled for separate discussion.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda Approved: All consent items were approved as presented.
  • Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned following a motion by Vice Mayor Nielsen, seconded by Councilmember Weiss, with all members voting aye. The next meeting was announced for the following week in person.

Meeting Transcript

Could get roll call for this meeting of Monday, August 24th. And if we can get more um roll call, Marcella, I'd appreciate it. Thank you. Councilmember Conde. Here. Councilmember Garcia. Here. Councilmember Solario. Here. Councilmember Weiss. Here. Councilmember White. President. Vice Mayor Nielsen. Here. And Mayor Pineda. Here. Thank you, Marcella. I believe we have two members of the public who uh wish to speak. I know that we have some public comments that were submitted as well. Um, but I believe there are only two speakers. Am I correct? Marcella. Thank you, Mayor. Yes, that is correct. Okay. I'm sorry. You're cutting out, Marcella. Yeah. So we have several public comments that position the flock. And I can make names. Can you hear me? Oh, yes, I can. Uh, but you all kind of lie on my end. Okay. Zachary, I'll um the mayor will announce you when it's time for you to speak. Um, but let me read the names of the individuals who submitted public comment. So I have Michael Hoffman, Nicholas Carroll, Naya Smith, Michelle Cadall, and Peter Dunaway. And their comments, Mayor, will be included in the minutes for today's meeting. Thank you so much, Marcella. I appreciate that. So I'm just gonna go based on what I see here from the two speakers in no necessary order. But first, uh, if I can have Zachary Markey, please uh feel free to present. Hi. Thank you. Hi, good evening. Thank you. Good evening. Um, firstly, I have sources for all the various claims I'll be making. So if anyone wants them, just email me.

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