Blacksburg Town Council Meeting - October 27, 2026

The Blacksburg Town Council held its regular meeting on October 27, 2026, with all council members present. The council approved routine minutes, held one public hearing on a town charter boundary amendment, and heard extended citizen comments about the town's Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) program. Council reports and announcements covered regional boards, upcoming events, transit ridership, and the town's comprehensive plan update.

Consent Agenda

• The council approved the Town Council minutes from October 6, 2026 and October 13, 2026 by unanimous vote.

Public Hearing: Charter Boundary Amendment

• Staff presented Resolution 10-D-26, a request to the Virginia General Assembly to amend Blacksburg Town Charter Section 1.02 to update the town's corporate boundaries. The change reflects an updated boundary survey completed in 2025 that corrected the 1973 boundary survey; the new boundary had already been adopted after public hearings by both the Town Council and the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors in 2025. Staff described the amendment as administrative.
• No members of the public commented during the hearing.
• The council discussed the matter briefly and approved Resolution 10-D-26 unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Jessica Latasti, a Montgomery County resident who identified with Blacksburg, said she filed a FOIA request for the town's Flock Safety contract and read contract language allowing Flock to access, use, preserve, or disclose data if legally required or based on a good-faith belief, plus a broad license for aggregated data. She asked the council to review the contract and remove the cameras.
• Laura Brown, a Blacksburg resident, said organizing to deflock was a continuation of work for at-risk community members. She cited federal overreach concerns from Minneapolis, stated that 153 municipalities had discontinued Flock contracts as of September 2026, including Christiansburg, and argued that the problem is what happens to data in the cloud under corporate ownership. She called on the town to abandon the Flock partnership.
• Dee Dee Reagan, who lives on Harding Avenue, said a Flock camera about 100 feet from her house appeared to be pointed toward her front yard, porch, and driveway. She cited the Fourth Amendment and mosaic theory and asked council members to consider how they would feel if a camera were pointed at their homes.
• Connie Fitzsimmons, now living in Montgomery County's District A, read a list of Virginia counties and municipalities that have ended, suspended, or declined to continue Flock/ALPR contracts, including Montgomery County's suspension in September and nearby municipalities such as Christiansburg, Lynchburg, and Martinsville.
• Dale Wimmerley, a Blacksburg resident speaking for the NRV Indivisible leadership team, said the group is concerned about possible election interference around the November 3 election and asked council members to publicly and loudly condemn any serious election interference, use press statements, and stand with residents in protest if it occurs.
• A Radford-area resident said she avoids shopping in Blacksburg because she feels watched, and also raised concerns about handicap parking access and a preference for police foot patrols over camera surveillance.
• Layla Dobis, a Radford resident who comes to Blacksburg for medical appointments, demanded no Flock cameras, no mass surveillance, and removal of installed cameras, saying the surveillance feels Orwellian and makes people avoid entering town.
• Wade Correll, a Radford resident, said he does not want Americans spied on, questioned whether the public can trust technology company executives, and argued that such systems do not prevent crimes. He urged the council to vote down the surveillance systems.
• Leslie Harwood, a Blacksburg resident, asked why the council had not already addressed the issue, citing Montgomery County's discontinuation, Arlington County's removal of 41 cameras over public trust, and Henrico County's termination. She called on the council to lead a public conversation rather than wait for the contract to expire.
• An additional speaker detailed what he described as Flock's accuracy failures, citing a 71% inaccuracy rate in Rosefield, California, and multiple incidents in which misread license plates led to wrongful stops or arrests.
• Nina Jaworski, a Blacksburg resident, said her son and other middle and high school students are uncomfortable with the cameras, questioned why the cameras are painted black, and said the constant surveillance sends a message that residents are guilty until proven innocent.

Discussion Items

• After citizen comments, the presiding council member thanked speakers and said the town is listening. He outlined current safeguards: Virginia state law limits ALPR use to specific law enforcement purposes, retains data for 21 days unless tied to an investigation, and restricts sharing. Blacksburg has shortened retention to 7 days, limited searches to violent crimes, missing persons, stolen vehicles, and active threats, and ended automatic data sharing with other agencies except Virginia Tech Police. The town has also declined data requests that do not meet its standards. He said the General Assembly will likely revisit ALPR in 2027.
• Blacksburg Police Chief John Claire said he lives near a Flock camera and takes the concerns seriously. He said his focus is protecting Blacksburg's 50,000 residents and sometimes 110,000 visitors, especially during high-intensity events. The police department is exploring options with direct end-to-end control, town-owned equipment, and no off-site cloud storage, while avoiding a gap in capabilities.
• A council member described the tension between concerns about Flock's for-profit cloud surveillance network and reasonable uses of ALPR, such as tracking an active shooter entering town or finding a trafficking victim. The council member said the town should explore alternative vendors without cloud storage where the town owns and controls the system end to end.

Council Reports

• The Planning Commission liaison reported on a work session about a future ordinance regulating cannabis facility locations and operations; staff will return in November with more information and the matter may come to council next year.
• The New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Authority is targeting the third quarter of 2027, ideally before Virginia Tech's fall semester, with construction schedule risk cited as the main concern; the Radford overnight facility is progressing.
• Other reports covered a tourism board update, Montgomery County's 250th anniversary celebration, the Montgomery County Economic Development Council, the New River Valley Agency on Aging, and a Public Arts Committee tour of Roanoke's public art.

Council Announcements

• Council members promoted the grand opening of The Local, Saturday downtown trick-or-treating, and the Blacksburg Holiday Parade during the Winter Lights festival on December 4, 2026.
• Residents were reminded to vote before November 3, 2026, with information on three ballot amendments available in the lobby.
• The town is beginning work on its comprehensive plan update, branded as Blacksburg Horizons; surveys and maps will accept input until December 18, with planning staff at the farmers market October 28 and October 31.
• Blacksburg Transit received the inaugural Hill Spencer Ridership Award, moved just over 4.7 million passengers in 2025 (a 26% increase), and is recognized as the fifth largest transit system in Virginia.
• The November 3 work session is canceled because it is Election Day; the next regular meeting is Tuesday, November 10 at 6:30 p.m., and the next work session is November 17.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved unanimously: minutes from October 6 and October 13, 2026.
• Resolution 10-D-26 approved unanimously, authorizing the town to request a General Assembly amendment to Town Charter Section 1.02 for updated corporate boundaries.
• No vote was taken on Flock Safety or ALPR; council members and the police chief said they will continue evaluating alternatives, including vendors with town-owned equipment and no off-site cloud storage.
• The council noted current ALPR safeguards in Blacksburg and anticipates state legislative action on ALPR in 2027.