Were Price County’s Surveillance Cameras Paid For With

Price County Fun first reported that the automated license plate readers scanning every car entering Price County have a problem nobody is talking about: their funding source dies on December 31, 2026.

That is the hard deadline for spending American Rescue Plan Act money. The same federal COVID relief package that, based on the timing and available records, appears to have funded the Flock Safety camera contract. (The county has not disclosed the contract or its funding source. Price County Fun has filed a public records request for the contract; a response is due by June 9, 2026. We will update this article when we receive it.) On January 1, 2027, the county has to do something it avoided doing in 2023: decide, in public, whether these cameras are worth paying for with your tax dollars.

Price County got roughly $1.46 million in ARPA funds. County records show $928,584 was spent in 2023 alone — the same year Flock cameras were announced without a public hearing, without a budget line item, and without a vote. No other funding source for the cameras has been disclosed.

A county financial report obtained by Price County Fun confirms the spending isn’t done. The April 2026 Executive Summary from the Office of Administration lists $20,000 in ARPA expenditures this year. Zero revenue. Pure outflow. The federal spigot closes in seven months.

Update, July 9, 2026: The Hidden Vote

A comprehensive search of the Price County agenda center (https://www.co.price.wi.us/agendacenter) covering 2017 through 2026 — roughly 80-plus PDF documents across every county committee — has found exactly one reference to Flock cameras in the entire county record. It was not where anyone would expect to find it, and it was not labeled as what it was.

On August 15, 2024, the Price County Executive Committee approved the purchase of four Flock cameras for the Sheriff’s Office. The cost: $14,600 for the cameras, plus a $12,000 annual fee. The funding came from “unused 2024 debt proceeds” — a reallocation of existing borrowing authority, not ARPA, not a new appropriation, and not a budget line item anyone could have found.

Here is what makes this finding significant:

The agenda did not mention Flock, cameras, or surveillance. The item was titled “Reallocation of 2024 Debt Proceeds.” A member of the public checking the agenda before the meeting would have had no way to know that surveillance cameras were being discussed. The word “Flock” appears only in the meeting minutes — the record written after the vote had already been taken.

Chief Deputy Robert Hawn — the same Robert Hawn now running for Sheriff — presented the Flock information to the committee. The motion was made by Supervisor Larry Palecek, seconded by Supervisor Alan Barkstrom, and carried. No dissent was recorded.

No separate County Board vote was found. The Executive Committee — a five-member body chaired by Supervisor Brian Ernst — approved the purchase unilaterally. The full County Board of Supervisors never voted on the Flock cameras.

This finding partially corrects earlier reporting. Previous articles in this series stated that there was no county-level vote on the Flock cameras. That was based on a search of County Board meeting minutes. The Executive Committee vote — the only documented county-level approval — was hidden inside a debt reallocation agenda item with no mention of Flock, cameras, or surveillance in its title.

It also corrects the funding assumption. The cameras were not paid for with ARPA funds, as previously inferred from the timing. They were funded with unused 2024 debt proceeds — money the county had already borrowed but not yet spent. This is a fundamentally different funding mechanism: ARPA is federal grant money with a spending deadline; debt proceeds are local borrowing that must eventually be repaid by taxpayers.

This is the first documented county-level approval of the Flock cameras. The only other public record is the Phillips city announcement from December 5, 2023, when Police Chief Michael Hauschild mentioned the cameras in a Committee of the Whole meeting. Between those two records — one city police department update and one county committee vote buried in a debt reallocation — there is no other public mention of Flock cameras in Price County government.

The $12,000 annual fee approved at that August 2024 meeting will be absorbed into the Sheriff’s Office annual budget as an ongoing operational expense. In future budget cycles, the cost will appear as a line item within the sheriff’s overall budget, not as a standalone item for public discussion. Unless a supervisor specifically pulls the line during budget deliberations, there will be no separate public vote on continuing the Flock contract.

The mechanics of the funding cliff

Flock Safety sells cameras on a SaaS model. Roughly $2,500 per camera per year. This is not a one-time purchase. It is a subscription. It bills until someone cancels.

ARPA had two deadlines. All funds had to be *obligated* (committed by contract) by December 31, 2024. All funds must be *spent* by December 31, 2026.

The cameras were announced at a Phillips Committee of the Whole meeting on December 5, 2023, weeks before the obligation window closed. Based on the timing of the announcement and the ARPA obligation deadline, the contract likely ran from early 2024 through late 2026. The fit is clean. But without the contract, this remains an inference.

After December, the money is gone. The county either finds General Fund dollars to keep the cameras running — the same pot that pays for roads, the sheriff’s deputies, and the jail , or it doesn’t.

How they got in without asking

Price County never had that conversation because ARPA made it unnecessary.

The entire public record of the camera deployment is one sentence on page 4 of a Phillips Committee of the Whole meeting from December 5, 2023: “The flock cameras are set to be installed at the end of the month.” Phillips Police Chief Hauschild mentioned it as a department update. Nobody discussed it. Nobody voted.

But Hauschild has talked about the cameras since. At an August 6, 2024 Committee of the Whole meeting, the chief said they were “working fabulously” and had “already saved two crimes,” according to meeting minutes obtained by Price County Fun. He added that Flock “were able to assist the Price County Sheriff’s office as well.” It is the only public statement by a city official on the cameras’ effectiveness that Price County Fun has found on the record.

The surveillance tracking site DeFlock shows at least eight Flock Safety devices in Price County: four ALPR cameras (two in Phillips, two near Park Falls) and four gunshot detectors (two near Prentice, two near Catawba). The original investigation reported two cameras. The actual count is at least four, and possibly more if gunshot detectors are included.

Interactive map of Price County surveillance devices: 4 Flock ALPR cameras, 2 unbranded ALPR cameras, and 4 Flock gunshot detectors. — Known Flock ALPR cameras, unbranded cameras, and gunshot detectors in Price County. **Click for an interactive zoomable map** with popup details for each device. Data sourced from OpenStreetMap, DeFlock.org, and reader reports.

A reader tip sent to Price County Fun reports a Flock camera set up on Highway 8 east of Prentice, near the greenhouse. The location is consistent with two unbranded ALPR cameras mapped in that area by OpenStreetMap, though it is unclear whether those devices are Flock units or belong to another agency. Price County Fun has not independently verified the camera’s exact position.

We reviewed county records from January 2022 through November 2023. Zero mentions of “Flock” or “ALPR” in any public document. Zero. The cameras just appeared.

Now compare the body cameras. In 2021, a $45,000 body camera purchase got a public hearing, a budget debate, and a recorded vote. That was transparent because body cameras affect cops , people with power. License plate readers affect everyone else. Your trip to the grocery store. Your commute. Your doctor’s appointment. Logged, timestamped, stored.

License plate reader data consistently shows that 95–99% of scanned plates do not match any hot list or wanted vehicle, according to law enforcement audits and the ACLU. The cameras log every passing car, not just suspects.

That data feeds a national platform. Federal agencies including the FBI and ICE have obtained Flock data indirectly through local law enforcement partners, effectively bypassing warrant requirements, according to public records requests and reporting by the ACLU and EFF. The cameras on Price County roads are not just local law enforcement tools. They make every passing car a data point in a federal surveillance system you never consented to join.

The budget question coming this fall

The county starts drafting its 2027 budget later this year. That is when Flock becomes unavoidable.

The Sheriff’s Department already eats about 46.6% of General Fund departmental spending. The April 2026 Executive Summary pegs it at $933,009 year-to-date for the Sheriff’s Office and $612,277 for the Jail. With ARPA gone, every new dollar for surveillance has to come from somewhere else.

Will the county board put Flock cameras in the General Fund? Will it show up as a line item in the Sheriff’s budget, with a public vote attached? Will there be hearings where people can ask about data retention, civil liberties, or why federal agencies get warrantless access to local traffic data?

None of those questions got asked in 2023 because ARPA meant they didn’t matter. In 2026, they do.

The same August 2024 meeting where Hauschild praised the cameras also approved the city’s remaining ARPA funds: $17,000 for a public works garage door, $5,000 for fire hall concrete posts, $20,000 for playground equipment, $3,000 for municipal building tables, and $1,000 for industrial park marketing. None of it went to Flock cameras. The county, not the city, is paying the camera bill.

The April Executive Summary also shows the county’s cash balance dropped 11% year over year. Timber revenue, one of the county’s biggest income sources, fell 11.4% through April. March stumpage sales crashed 38.9% compared to 2025. The budget is getting tighter. Every dollar spent on license plate readers is a dollar not going to something else.

Someone will have to say yes or no

The December 2026 deadline does not guarantee the cameras come down. But it guarantees something that did not happen in 2023: a public funding decision.

If the Sheriff wants to renew Flock, it goes through the county budget process. Meetings. Line items. Votes. For the first time, residents get to ask whether scanning every license plate in the county is worth paying for with their tax dollars.

That debate is coming in a few months. And there is a related question nobody has asked yet.

Sheriff Brian Schmidt is not seeking re-election in November. Two candidates, Robert Hawn and Walt Madsen, are running to replace him. The winner takes office just weeks before the ARPA funding cliff hits on December 31.

Whichever man wins the election will be the one standing in front of the county board asking for General Fund dollars , or telling them the cameras are not worth it.

Update, May 27, 2026: Walt Madsen has now taken a public position. In a recorded statement to Price County Fun on May 26, Madsen said he would remove the Flock cameras if elected.

“What I’m going to do is rip them down when I become sheriff. So I don’t know if you like that, but that’s what I’m going to do.”

“If businesses want to put up their own cameras to monitor outside their shops , which they should , that would be a great help. That’s how you keep the community safe. We work together. But only that business has that footage. Not everybody else. I would recommend to every business in our county to get cameras watching our streets, so nobody ever gets away when they do something. And then the police go get a warrant and they say, ‘Hey, we need the footage from your cameras.’ Bam. We got it. We’re not spying on our people anymore.”

Madsen’s position, private business cameras accessible by warrant, not county-owned automated surveillance, directly addresses the central question this article raises: who controls the data, and who pays. Robert Hawn has not yet responded to requests for comment.

The cameras are watching. One candidate says he would rip them down. The other has not said. And the clock on the federal money is down to months.

Visual overview: See our Flock Camera Infographic — a visual breakdown of all 10 surveillance devices, costs, timeline, and Wisconsin context.

Sources

Price County April 2026 Executive Summary, Office of Administration (obtained via public records request)
Phillips Committee of the Whole meeting minutes, December 5, 2023
Phillips Committee of the Whole meeting minutes, August 6, 2024
U.S. Department of the Treasury, American Rescue Plan Act: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
DeFlock.org — Flock Safety device tracking database
OpenStreetMap — ALPR camera location data for Price County
Price County Installed Surveillance Cameras With Zero Public Input — original investigation
Denver Department of Public Safety, Flock camera contract termination announcement (March 2026)
Price County Fun public records request for Flock Safety contract terms (response pending, due June 9, 2026)

Price County Fun has submitted public records requests for the Flock Safety contract, including contract terms, renewal dates, and total cost. We expect a response by June 9, 2026.

FAQ

Is Flock Safety illegal?

No. Automated license plate readers are legal in Wisconsin. The problem is not legality. It is transparency. Price County deployed the cameras with zero public discussion or vote.

When does ARPA funding end?

December 31, 2026. After that, remaining funds go back to the U.S. Treasury. ARPA cannot pay for Flock in 2027.

How much do the cameras cost?

Flock charges roughly $2,500 per camera per year on a SaaS subscription. The exact number of cameras and total contract cost in Price County has not been disclosed publicly.

What happens to the data if the contract ends?

Flock’s standard policy deletes cloud data after 30 days unless a legal hold applies. Historical data access after contract termination depends on the specific terms of the agreement, which the county has not released.

Does the county board have to vote on Flock funding after ARPA?

Yes. Any General Fund expenditure needs board approval through the annual budget process. The 2027 budget gets drafted this fall and must pass the full County Board of Supervisors.

What do the sheriff candidates say about Flock cameras?

Walt Madsen, one of two Republican candidates for sheriff, stated on May 26, 2026 that he would remove the cameras if elected, advocating instead for private business-owned cameras accessible to law enforcement via warrant. Robert Hawn has not publicly commented on the cameras. The Republican primary is August 11, 2026. With no Democratic challenger, the primary winner becomes sheriff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Price County use federal COVID money for surveillance cameras?

Price County installed surveillance cameras using ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds. The county board approved the expenditure, though questions remain about whether this use of federal pandemic relief money aligns with the program’s intent.

Where are Price County’s surveillance cameras located?

The cameras were installed at the Price County Courthouse and surrounding county buildings in Phillips, Wisconsin. The exact number and specifications were approved by the county board.

Was there public input on the surveillance camera installation?

There was no dedicated public hearing or formal public input process specifically about the surveillance camera installation before the county board approved the expenditure.

Can citizens request footage from Price County surveillance cameras?

Surveillance footage from county-owned cameras may be subject to Wisconsin open records requests, though exemptions exist for active investigations, security protocols, and personnel matters.

Update, July 7, 2026: Sheriff’s Office Still Has No Timeline

It has been 43 days since the amended ARPA/Flock records request was acknowledged by Sheriff’s Office executive assistant Annee Meyer on June 9. In a July 7 email responding to our follow-up, Meyer wrote: “I cannot give you an estimated time line due to the substantial request that you are asking for.”

Translation: the request isn’t denied, it’s just stalled. The Sheriff’s Office has not provided the ARPA expenditure records or any Flock Safety/ALPR procurement documents that would confirm or deny whether federal COVID relief money is paying for the cameras. They have not issued a “no records” letter either, which would close the request.

Wisconsin’s public records law requires agencies to respond “as soon as practible and without delay.” 43 days without a timeline or a denial pushes the boundaries of what courts have considered reasonable. The records could still arrive. But the clock is ticking on two deadlines that matter more than ours:

35 days until the August 11 Republican primary for sheriff. Walt Madsen says he’d remove the cameras. Robert Hawn has not responded to our request for his position, sent June 1 (36 days ago).
177 days until the December 31 ARPA deadline. After that, the federal money is gone. The county either funds Flock from the General Fund or the cameras go dark.

The City of Phillips, which deployed the cameras via its police department, has also not responded to our May 25 records request for the Flock contract, ALPR policies, and Chief Hauschild’s notification memo. That request is now 43 days old with no response.

What we know: Zero Flock/ALPR spending appears in the Sheriff’s Office budget (2021-2024 GL transactions). The cameras were announced by Phillips Police Chief Hauschild at a December 2023 Committee of the Whole meeting. DeFlock.org shows at least 8 Flock devices in Price County (4 ALPR cameras + 4 gunshot detectors). The county has not disclosed the contract, the total cost, or which budget line is paying for it.

What we don’t know: The contract terms. The renewal date. The total cost. Whether ARPA or some other fund is paying. Whether the county or the city holds the contract. Whether there’s a data retention policy. Whether the sheriff’s office or Phillips PD controls access. And whether either sheriff candidate will have to make a decision before the ARPA money runs out.

Related Coverage

Does the Fourth Amendment Protect You From Flock Cameras? Carpenter v. United States Explained
50+ Security Flaws in Flock Cameras: What Rural Wisconsin Should Know

Were Price County’s Surveillance Cameras Paid For With Federal COVID Money? The Clock Is Ticking.