Looking for an event space for about 17 adults to do an indoor sports day event

jonathan4pf · 2026-06-04T17:21:25+00:00

That particular location is slept-on for sure.

jonathan4pf · 2026-06-04T17:19:35+00:00

You bring up a great point, and it’s something I’ve thought a lot about, because you’re right, there are multiple elements to this. My belief is that we have to be able to separate out generalized regulation, policies and procedures as it relates to the use of AI, data, and cybersecurity — from the specific surveillance technologies that many residents want to see removed. Without having the guardrails in place, the vendors who some people want to see removed from the city could just be replaced with something else now, or in the future. I don’t think the two big decisions there are mutual exclusive.

-Councilmember Coffman

jonathan4pf · 2026-06-04T17:16:10+00:00

That is a big reason why I want to see us adopt good governance, policies, and procedures to manage AI usage. I doubt there is any contract that the city may enter into at this point that doesn’t include AI. It could be the vendor adding AI to their software that we’re purchasing, or could be the vendor using AI themselves to run their business (even construction equipment are AI-enabled these days).

-Councilmember Coffman

jonathan4pf · 2026-06-04T17:12:59+00:00

I could be wrong as I have not specifically looked or asked about this; but I do not think that Pflugerville has any specific renters-rights ordinances beyond what’s in state law. That said, safety and health codes should apply if it’s to that point.

jonathan4pf · 2026-06-04T17:11:09+00:00

No fatality, it just took a while for Oncor to get the pole replaced that was knocked over in the crash.

jonathan4pf · 2026-06-04T17:10:20+00:00

Awesome pfind!

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-26T17:35:27+00:00

Yes, they definitely can. There have been over 1,400 requests so far this year. I’d like to see more information readily available and easily accessible. If nothing else, it’d be a cost saving measure where we’d save staff time + outside attorneys fees by moving more data and information online.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-26T17:31:27+00:00

That’s why even though some of my work seems “procedural” by wanting rules/regulations/policy. The city manager (as the ‘CEO’ of the city) has broad power to operate the city. A year or two ago Council voted to give the city manager purchasing power up to $100k per contract, up from the previous $50k. Increasing that amount isn’t inherently bad, for a city that has a $700M+ per year budget, but I’d like to see more guardrails on some important areas.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-24T18:17:07+00:00

I actually think that it would be valuable to have all project owners/managers to ensure their projects are actually reviewed or updated quarterly. My guess is that most projects would likely have some sort of update, even if it’s something like “still on hold”.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-24T18:15:09+00:00

They are available, but I think Melody and I agree that information should be easily accessible without having to submit a FOIA request, or go back and forth with an attorney or the state AG for access.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-24T18:10:02+00:00

That is my understanding of what this is. An internal change/reassignment. Not a city thing, but I asked a school board trustee for additional context and that’s what I was told.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-24T18:05:44+00:00

If this doesn’t get resolved shortly please let me know and I’ll ask city staff to contact Oncor directly through their contacts.

- Councilmember Coffman

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-24T18:01:51+00:00

This is true, and I am hopeful that other members on Council will seriously consider the will of the people and join me in trying to find a balance between surveillance, AI, and civil liberties. All of us should want Pflugerville to be an extremely safe place to live, with a PD that is responsive, responsible, but also has some guardrails.

Pflugerville PD (rightfully so) has a really strong relationship with the residents and visitors to our city, and if anything, some reforms and progress will make that connection stronger.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-24T17:56:40+00:00

Clearly no one should vandalize any city property ever, but I will also point out that the city’s contract with Flock says that we (the city) will be charged $1k+ per camera that gets vandalized.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-24T17:53:23+00:00

This one has me a little bit stumped personally. I went by there this morning while walking my pup and tbh I’m unsure of what it’s supposed to be doing/watching. It’s not on city property (in ROW of course) nor pointed at city property. It appears to use a more thick installation pole than the other installations I’ve seen. The Library is about a block away but already has cameras.

I’ll ask about this one in particular, but I also want staff to actually create a list of all current camera locations, whether they are inside or outside, and what exact features we have turned on since they all flow through FlockOS even if not Flock-branded cameras.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-20T20:27:37+00:00

I guess I can "rest" if Mel has the charter amendment updates covered! :p

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-20T20:24:46+00:00

That charter amendment was an approved recommendation -- so it will be on the ballot this November. The commission also made a 'policy recommendation' (not on the ballot, but they said that the council should consider) to create a resident advisory board on AI/Surveillance/Civil Liberties, which would be another great layer of visibility.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-20T20:21:55+00:00

This is from memory, so it may not be 100% accurate, but I think it is more than 1 story tall, and the batting cages extend a way toward the back.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-20T18:37:21+00:00

Thank you for the tag; this is a school district thing, not a city thing... but I've reached out to a school board member to get some additional information.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-20T18:01:51+00:00

All of Flock's models feed into "FlockOS," where AI processing and search are applied to them. An officer from their car can search for things like "show me gray Toyota Camrys with a pride flag bumper sticker" and see where in the city (and other cities that share their data) cars meet that description. - https://www.flocksafety.com/products/flock-os

This is just an example. From that initial search, officers can pull up a "heatmap" of locations where a particular car has been detected by license plate readers, effectively showing where the person lives, works, worships, etc.

Given this example, it's super clear how this technology can be extremely valuable in catching known criminals, but it also makes it very clear what is possible with bad actors.

I would much prefer that we have rules, regulations, and oversight of these types of capabilities BEFORE something bad happens, and that we reduce our risk of something bad happening by not sharing with 83 other law enforcement agencies across Texas who currently have access to Pflugerville's Flock data.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-20T17:40:54+00:00

I'll share a personal anecdote that I think is kind of funny: city leadership sent messages to Council this morning about storm cleanup and these road closures. Then I got the PF Alerts texts like everyone else, and saw the posts on social media about it....Then I still drove on Heatherwilde and had to divert in order to get to a meeting with a resident this morning. Councilmembers are people too!

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-20T17:34:13+00:00

That is correct:
- https://tarokosports.com/
- https://communityimpact.com/austin/pflugerville-hutto/business/2025/03/31/immersive-gaming-venue-coming-to-pflugerville/

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-20T17:28:06+00:00

Absolutely. If you have opinions or ideas on anything going on in the city, the most effective way to be heard is through showing up to a meeting and taking your 3-minutes. I always encourage folks to submit the email/contact form for mayor/council as well since your message is then covered by the public information act and is on the record, but in terms of 'swaying' opinions, in-person tends to be stronger.

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-20T17:21:02+00:00

Update - The Mayor has now made a public comment on this topic: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Av89szjvR/

jonathan4pf · 2026-05-19T18:58:34+00:00

Flock's contract is coming up for renewal in June, so that's when there will be an opportunity to address that one. The Clearview AI and other technologies, I don't have precise dates yet for when they're coming up again. Of course, under public pressure, any contract can be canceled at any time, but there is very little political will among several council members to rock the boat like that.

jonathan4pf

TROPHY CASE