Council votes 8-3 to send surveillance ban back
The Framingham City Council voted 8-3 to send a proposed ban on automatic license plate readers and facial recognition technology back to subcommittee over objections to politically charged preamble language.
Select Board · Meeting of September 15, 2026
FRAMINGHAM — The Framingham City Council voted 8-3 to send a proposed ban on automatic license plate readers and facial recognition technology back to subcommittee over objections to politically charged preamble language. Councilor Bryant, the lone dissenting subcommittee vote, moved to return the ordinance, saying it was "not yet ready for ready to go." Councilor Cannon called the preamble "both political and unnecessary and inflammatory," while Councilor Stefanini, the subcommittee chair, defended it by citing local effects including school enrollment down nearly 1,000 students and downtown businesses down 40 percent. Six residents spoke, including Kate Merritt O'Toole, who said the city lacks translation services for immigrant residents on the issue.
Separately, the council voted 11-0 to approve a $183,000 transfer for four new seasonal positions at Mary Denison Park, below the 10 positions a staff analysis found necessary.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
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- The complete report — 2,298 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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