Shakopee City Council Regular Meeting - September 1, 2026

The Shakopee City Council met on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 7:00 PM at City Hall. The meeting included approval of the consent agenda (with one item removed for discussion), a recess for the Economic Development Authority (EDA) meeting, a workshop on Flock automated license plate readers (ALPRs), and liaison reports. The meeting adjourned to September 15, 2026 at 7:00 PM.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the consent agenda as modified, removing item 5H for separate discussion. The consent items included: designation of signing authority on grant agreements, DOJ COPS application, amendment to developer's agreement for River Valley Business Park, extended construction hours for Shenandoah Drive and Schenian Street intersection improvements, DNR Conservation Partners Legacy grant application, special event permit and temporary liquor license for Downtown Dogs event, acceptance of proposal from Alliant Engineering for 2028-2029 full-depth pavement reconstruction, Metropolitan Council Livable Communities grant award, resolution for PERA Police & Fire plan membership for Fire Inspector, donation of used card access equipment, updated Information Security and Technical Use policy, surplus property, community center fitness studio water damage repairs, and approval of August 18, 2026 minutes.
• Motion by Councilmember Whiting, seconded by Councilmember Contreras. Approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Brian Kane (2081 Chester Street) spoke during the Flock camera workshop. He raised concerns about Flock's patent classifying people by race/gender/height/weight, Fourth Amendment violations, vendor flaws, and requested a written policy, 30-day retention cap, no sharing without council vote, ban on audio sensors, independent security assessment, and no vendor changes without authorization.
• Larry Moody (2231 Hillside Drive) asked about false hits and whether Flock cameras can misidentify the state of a license plate, leading to erroneous alerts.
• Chris Simon expressed concerns about system abuse, tracking, and potential facilitation of domestic abuse, noting that access by vendor employees or unauthorized persons cannot be fully prevented.
• Andrew Staffrin (IT professional) noted that the city owns only 5 cameras while private entities (Home Depot, Lowe's, FedEx) own 9, and raised questions about cybersecurity and securing cameras from public exposure on Shodan.io.

Discussion Items

Item 5H - Reimbursement Agreement with Lower Minnesota River Watershed District

• Removed from consent agenda at the request of the Watershed District Vice President.
• The Vice President thanked the city for partnership and noted that two projects had been resolved to ensure payments were made.
• Councilmember Whiting moved to approve, seconded by Councilmember Contreras. Approved unanimously.

Economic Development Authority (EDA) Meeting (Recess)

• The Council recessed to hold an EDA meeting at approximately 7:45 PM.
• Approved EDA consent business (minutes).
• Discussion on 2027 EDA levy and budget: Proposed levy of $550,000 (no change from 2026), with additional revenues from SPUC contribution ($341,000), social district licenses ($20,000), and TAP event admissions ($20,000). Operating expenses include wages, legal services, facade loan program, etc. For a median-value home, the cost is approximately $20 per year.
• Adopted Resolution E2026-005 authorizing the special benefit levy and Resolution E2026-006 adopting the 2027 budget. Both approved unanimously.
• Also approved the EDA bill list.

Item 10A - Flock Camera (ALPR) Workshop Discussion

• City Clerk Bill Reynolds and Police Chief Pearson presented.
• Explained that Flock cameras capture license plates only, not occupants or continuous video. Used for locating stolen vehicles, missing persons, wanted fugitives, and deterring vandalism.
• Currently 5 city-owned cameras (one at Jackson Park, two others needing relocation/replacement). Annual cost is $18,000 subscription; camera cost $3,000 each.
• Data retention: Minnesota statute allows 60 days, Shakopee restricts to 30 days. Considering a 7-day retention proposal from Flock.
• Access restrictions: Only sergeants and investigators can search; search warrant required except in exigent circumstances (life/safety). Audit every two years; most recent audit (April 2026) confirmed compliance.
• Data sharing: Only with Prior Lake Police Department, which has similar policies. No sharing with federal agencies (ICE, DHS). No sharing with private cameras.
• Councilmembers asked about surveillance, false positives, misuse penalties, and audits. Chief noted human verification before enforcement action.
• Public comments raised concerns about Fourth Amendment, vendor vulnerabilities, tracking, and private cameras.
• Council requested further study on: 1-year audit cycle, clearer consequences for misuse, council approval for future data sharing partners, feasibility of splitting data retention (active investigations vs. non-alert data), and security assessment of cameras.
• No formal action taken; workshop discussion only.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved as modified (item 5H removed).
• Reimbursement agreement with Lower Minnesota River Watershed District approved.
• EDA 2027 levy and budget adopted.
• Flock camera workshop concluded with no formal decision; council directed staff to investigate several issues and potentially return for formal action at a future meeting.
• Meeting adjourned to September 15, 2026 at 7:00 PM.