Clarkesville approves $152,000 police body camera system

CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — The Clarkesville City Council unanimously approved a five-year agreement Monday to replace the police department’s aging body camera system at a total cost of $152,250.40.

The council’s vote came after Police Chief Danny Clouatre told council members the department’s existing cameras remain functional but are aging, with replacement parts becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.

The approved proposal from Axon Enterprise Inc. calls for a 60-month program with an estimated total cost of $152,250.40. The proposal lists average annual savings of $7,927.22 and total savings of $39,636.12.

City Manager Jason Streetman said Axon’s system is widely used by law enforcement agencies and that the company agreed to allow Clarkesville to make monthly payments rather than paying the full cost upfront.

Clouatre said the payment structure will allow the department to get through the remainder of the current fiscal year with a payment of about $1,500 before the expense becomes a line item in the city’s fiscal 2027 budget.

Streetman said he is currently working to finalize next year’s budget and will incorporate the body camera expense into the budget.

The council had discussed replacing the cameras during its Sept. 29 work session. At that meeting, Clouatre said the department’s current cameras were still operational but were aging quickly, while parts needed for repairs were becoming difficult to find. Streetman proposed a five-year lease arrangement as a way to make the purchase manageable.

The agreement is scheduled to begin Dec. 1, according to the Axon proposal.

City finances

Streetman also presented the city’s financial report, saying Clarkesville is entering the final three months of the fiscal year in a generally strong financial position.

As of Sept. 30, the city’s general fund had collected $3.62 million in revenue against a budget of $3.18 million. General fund expenses totaled $3.53 million, compared with a budget of $3.16 million.

That left the general fund with $94,881 in revenue over expenses.

Streetman cautioned that some of the revenue figure is affected by the city’s Fort Gordon-related agreement, under which Clarkesville passes money through and retains about 3%.

The city’s water, sewer and sanitation funds had $1.80 million in revenue and $1.81 million in expenses through Sept. 30, leaving those funds about $6,988 below expenses.

Streetman said some of the difference could be attributed to timing and reporting delays and that he expects the city to finish the fiscal year in good financial shape barring an unexpected expense or other issue.

With the fiscal 2027 budget now being developed, Streetman said he has asked department heads to identify their “must-haves” and “like-to-haves” as he works through budget priorities.

The council also received its monthly department reports Monday, although most contained information previously provided in the meeting packet.

Fire Chief Jason Poole reported 77 department responses during August, including 53 EMS calls, six motor vehicle accidents, four tree-down calls, three service calls, two fires and nine canceled or false calls. Forty-five responses occurred within the city and 32 were outside the city.

October is Fire Prevention Month, with Fire Prevention Week running Oct. 4-10. This year’s theme, “Charge Into Fire Safety,” focuses on reducing the risk of lithium-ion battery fires involving everyday devices such as phones, laptops, e-bikes and scooters.

Main Street reported three new businesses in September — Flerd, Haven Ridge Nutrition and Waffle House — and 45 downtown events with an estimated combined attendance of 2,061.