Jonesborough BMA rescinds Flock camera resolution, approves Town Hall parking expansion

JONESBOROUGH — The Jonesborough Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously voted to rescind its previous decision to allow a Flock camera system to be put into the town during its meeting on Monday evening. During the citizen's comment portion of the meeting, Jonesborough resident Brian Ponder shared his apprehension about Flock cameras and their correlation to a person's privacy. His concerns then sparked the board's discussion and reconsideration of the resolution they approved in their July 2025 meeting. "I know that last year the board approved three of them, and due to the nature of what's happened, I think it's in the town's best interest if we pump the breaks, delay that or rescind that order and build a safeguard to be put in," said Ponder. "AI has made this thing very negative, and I think it's just to protect the citizens. At this time, I think it's needed." Ponder added while the Flock cameras can be a "good tool" for the police department, he believes the system infringes on the privacy of people in the town. Jonesborough Mayor Kelly Wolfe responded to Ponder's remarks, saying that while the board passed the resolution for a Flock camera system to be put in the town, it has not been implemented. Wolfe also shared his own concerns about the cameras and artificial intelligence. "I don't think we did anything wrong a year ago talking about the Flock program, but the knowledge that we as a society have today versus a year ago and the body of experiences that we have as a country today versus a year ago are a mile apart," said Wolfe. Wolfe added new upgrades to the Flock systems should cause the board to "err on the side of caution" when considering what next steps to take for putting the cameras up in the town. Alderman Adam Dickson said for him, his consideration of the cameras comes down to what is safest for the town and its residents. "We value safety and we do value our officers," Dickson said. "We are living in a time where cybersecurity is real. We are living in a time where this is so much we don't know. It would, I think, behoove us to be safe as opposed to being sorry eventually." Dickson also said while the board wants to provide the Jonesborough Police Department with the tools needed to provide safety, his opinion – like Wolfe – is "to be on the side of caution." Alderwoman Virginia Causey then asked Jonesborough Police Chief Matt Rice to speak about the cameras and how they help his department. Rice said while it has been proven that the Flock system can help with certain operations, he would understand the board's reconsideration of it for the town's best interest. "We've used the Flock system — we don't currently have cameras in our jurisdiction — but we have used them in the past for investigations, and they have been very useful," Rice said. "We've had missing people that we've located that were in danger as a result of cameras placed throughout the state. But I think that the consensus and concerns that I've been hearing are legitimate concerns. … I think that you as a board are elected by citizens to do what you feel like is best for this community, and I'm obviously going to respect that." After unanimously agreeing to add the reconsideration of the Flock resolution to the meeting, the board voted to rescind it. The board also unanimously approved to expand Jonesborough's Town Hall parking lot. The expansion, according to the meeting agenda, is estimated to cost $21,555 and has been designed by engineer Todd Wood. It will add an additional 45 parking spaces to Town Hall. Jonesborough Mayor Kelly Wolfe said the expansion will help meet the growing employment of the town. "We've hired a bunch more firefighters, and chances are we'll hire a bunch more police officers," said Wolfe. "This is the most logical progression to what space we have, and I think it's a good design." The agenda states the cost for the expansion, though not in the 2026-2027 fiscal year budget, can be funded by the Street Department's current budget, the paving line item from the capital projects or a combination of both. The agenda also provides a cost breakdown for the project: 835 feet of extruded curb at $20.00 per foot - $16,700.00 16,800 square feet of 6-inch-deep crusher/run stone – 9 tons – $275.00 16,400 square feet of 2-inch-deep asphalt binder – 8 tons – $900.00 16,00 square feet of 1.5-inch-deep D-Mix asphalt – 7.5 tons – $975.00 190 feet of 12-inch HDPE storm pipe – $1,585.00 One 2-foot x 2-foot x 3-foot-deep storm inlet - $625.00 One concrete wing wall – $495.00 All other meeting items on the agenda were also unanimously approved. The next scheduled Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting will be Oct. 12, 2026.