Hollister City Council members Monday are scheduled to weigh buying video surveillance cameras for downtown.
The move is intended mostly for 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 also expect to use them throughout the year as a way to potentially deter criminal activity.
Council members at their 6:30 p.m. meeting Monday at Hollister City Hall, 375 Fifth St., are set to consider spending $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 expenditure is set to go through the engineering department and an array of funds that exclude the general fund, used mostly for employee pay.
Additionally on Monday, council members are scheduled to consider amending job duties for the vacant development services director position to include oversight of the engineering department. Formerly heading the development services department was Bill Avera, whom the city hired as city manager.
