Bill to fund cameras in parks with homeless camps faces another delay

At Monday night's Metro Council Budget and Finance Committee meeting, members voted to once again defer a resolution that would fund the placement of cameras in parks with homeless encampments. The bill would also fund renovations at Brookmeade Park — home to a camp that has grown dramatically in recent years — and construction vehicles to clear debris.

The bill has garnered controversy in recent weeks. When the committee voted to defer the bill, in part because of the surveillance cameras, Mayor John Cooper invited councilmembers to tour the homeless camps. Several councilmembers took to social media to criticize the invitation, and some questioned whether purchasing these cameras was the best use of federal American Rescue Plan dollars — concerns reiterated at Monday's budget meeting.