Hollister City Council members Monday approved the purchase of surveillance cameras for downtown.
The move is due to the motorcycle rally over the July 4 weekend, following last year’s event during which the local Boy Scouts had 35 American flags stolen from locations along downtown streets. City officials expect to have the new equipment installed and operating by late June.
Council members voted 3-2 on Monday to spend $352,000 on the cameras and installations at the Briggs Building, Fire Station No. 1, the Veterans Memorial Building, Old City Hall and other areas. The project also would supply a mounted camera for a portable trailer.
The city awarded the contract to Morgan Hill-based Surveillance Grid Integration. The expenditure is set to go through the engineering department and an array of funds that exclude the general fund. As an ongoing cost, the city would have to pay the host business $30,000 annually for licensing and maintenance, according to city engineering official David Rubcic.
Mayor Ignacio Velazquez had a dissenting vote and mentioned his holdup being the additional, annual costs on top of the $352,000.
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