Police would sign a 10-year, $9.96 million Axon deal covering body cameras, Tasers, drones and AI software

Celina's police department wants to lock in a decade of cameras, Tasers, drones and software from Axon Enterprise, and council members will decide Tuesday, Oct. 13, whether to approve the roughly $9.96 million agreement.

The department's current Axon contract is expiring, Police Chief John Cullison wrote in a memo to the council. The new 10-year deal, bought through the BuyBoard purchasing cooperative, has a not-to-exceed amount of $9,958,384.26.

What the city would get

According to the memo, the agreement covers:

• New body cameras and dash cameras
• Pole cameras and drones
• Taser 10 devices and virtual-reality training simulators
• AI software, crime hub software and retail theft software
• New warranties on all products, plus new technology added at no cost during the contract

The catch in the pricing

The memo says the structure gives the city discounts of more than 50% off list price over the life of the deal. That pricing assumes the department hires 10 officers a year for the next 10 years.

The memo also lays out the risk. The contract can be canceled with 90 days' notice or if future funding is not appropriated, but the city would then have to return the equipment or pay the difference between list price and the discounted price.

And if Celina wants to keep using the Axon equipment and services, it must pay the full contract amount whether or not it hires 100 officers over the decade, unless the deal is renegotiated.

Department leaders believe the hiring estimate is realistic given recent budgets and expected population growth, and that the lower price outweighs the risk of future cuts in officer hiring, according to the memo. Funding is available in the current budget, staff says, and the agreement is split into three contracts at Axon's request for its internal systems.

Also Tuesday

The council's consent agenda includes about $751,000 in other police purchases: two outfitted patrol vehicles, eight administrative vehicles and 11 Motorola handheld radio kits. Separately, the council will consider a $251,000 engineering study of groundwater options to add to the city's water supply and a $7.3 million change order to build the southeast well at the Southeast Pump Station.

The meeting begins at 5 p.m. at Celina City Council Chambers, 112 N. Colorado St.

Sources

celinatx.api.civicclerk.com

celinatx.api.civicclerk.com