Kane County Reporter

City of Batavia Committee of the Whole met April 15

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

1. Call to Order

Chair Wolff called the meeting to order at 9:02 pm.

2. ROLL CALL

Aldermen in attendance at roll: Barazza (7), Lanci (6), Beck (5), Pieper (4), Chanzit (3), Wolff (2), Solfa (1), Bearren (1), Ajazi (3), Malay (4), Vogelsinger (7).

2. REMINDER: Please Speak Into The Microphone For BATV Recording

3. ITEMS REMOVED/ADDED/CHANGED

None seen.

4. MATTERS FROM THE PUBLIC: (For Items NOT On The Agenda)

None seen.

5. Discussion: 2024 City Of Batavia Surveillance Systems Upgrades

City Staff member Max Weiss presented an overview of requests for additional surveillance.

Chief Mazza spoke about the scope of the project and the goals. He said that the goal of the project is to deploy security support in specific strategic areas of high traffic that are more prone to crime than others. He stated that the goal was not to monitor the cameras live or to create a blanket of security over the whole city. He stated that there is a policy drafted to define the scope and govern how information recorded is stored, accessed, and used.

Mazza and staff are working to identify concerns of citizens who are or may be opposed to these surveillance measures. He spoke about recent occasions where surveillance measures in specific targeted areas would have been helpful.

Ald. Ajazi asked about the length of time for records retention. Mazza responded that he thinks 30 days would be the maximum time records would need to be retained. Ajazi noted his concern that the scope of the project may drift over time.

Ald. Pieper asked if records used could be published regularly to encourage transparency. Mazza agreed.

Ald. Wolff asked how much of the data would be subject to FOIA. Mazza said that there are still some points that require clarity. Attorney Risman clarified that while records would be subject to FOIA, there are exceptions for records involved in investigations.

Ald. Beck asked what next steps would be. Weiss responded.

Ald. Wolff asked what additional burden there might be on the City Information Technology department. Howard Chason responded that he thinks this project will need to be outsourced.

Ald. Lanci noted that facial recognition technology is illegal in Illinois. He asked whether License Plate Recognition technology would be integrated into the system. He said that record retention would be a major cost of the proposed system.

Ald. Pieper asked about transparency around data analysis.

6. OTHER

None seen.

7. ADJOURNMENT

Motion by Ald. Solfa, seconded by Ald. Wolf , to adjourn. Motion carried by voice vote.

The meeting adjourned at 9:30 pm.

https://www.bataviail.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04152024-2241