Councilmembers also OK new appropriations limit, cross connection program, and safety element
The Solvang City Council, in its Monday, July 14, meeting, awarded a contract to XIT Inc. to implement an AI-enabled surveillance camera system as part of the Downtown Corridor Surveillance Project.
Based out of Bakersfield, XIT Inc. who founded operations starting in the 2000s, claims to have become a significant player in the technology and IT services sector in the Central Valley of California and Southern Nevada.
City Manager Randy Murphy said seven new cameras would be installed as a pilot program to surveil strategic spots that were chosen by city staff with the help of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. This project was hatched from one of the city’s goals, established earlier this year, to improve police response utilizing private security and technology.
The contract calls for surveillance camera purchase and services in the amount-not-to-exceed $147,407.01 for the three-year term from July 1, 2025 to Dec 31, 2028.
Murphy said XIT will be responsible for the installation of the cameras, and for storing the data from the cameras.
“The system will be monitored by city staff, with access provided to the sheriff’s department,” he said. “We do not have a policy in place yet for how to operate the program yet. We will bring that to council before its implemented.”
Councilmember Mark Infanti began the council questions by asking who would be doing the monitoring. Murphy answered that he and Assistant to the City Manager Olivia Uribe Mutal would be keeping tabs, but that mainly the system would be AI-enabled and that the objective would be to have footage that city officials or law enforcement can look at if a crime or incident is reported in Solvang’s downtown area.
At this point, City Counsel Chelsea O’Sullivan pointed out that the item was just to OK the contract, and the city would be able to start figuring out policy and usage afterward; however, Councilmember Elizabeth Orona pointed out that according to the schedule supplied to council, the system was going to start operation in September.
“Does the Sheriff’s Department have same software, and can it integrate with our system,” she asked. “We want to know the framework of what criteria they help us set, identifying procedural process, and clearing guidelines on what is being surveilled.
“I would like to approve this, but I feel like we’re behind the times on this,” Orona said. “There’s no policy; no skill set; there’s still work to do. We don’t know how complicated it gets until we get more answers.”
Murphy answered that by saying he would try to bring the framework of a policy by the next council meeting on Monday, Aug. 11.
Infanti then moved to approve the contract, with Councilmember Claudia Orona seconding, with the understanding that a policy for the use of the program was would be coming soon. The items passed 5-0
In other business:
The council unanimously approved the city’s new appropriation limit of $26,362,892 for the Fiscal Year 2025-26, an increase from $24,651,978 in FY 2024-25. The annual appropriations limit is calculated based on the 1978–79 fiscal year limit, adjusted annually to reflect changes in the cost of living and population. As required, the City has reviewed and calculated its annual Appropriations Limit. Based on population and cost-of-living data provided by the California Department of Finance (DOF).
The council had actually introduced the item in its previous meeting on June 23, but it was published just 12 days before the meeting, short of the required 15 days. Because of that, they couldn’t approve it until the July 14 meeting.
Also approved was the amendment of the Safety Element of the Solvang General Plan to incorporate the adopted Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, and update Figure SAF-8, Fire Hazard Severity Zones. The city had updated the Safety Element in 2024, and the latest amendment included language to make it compatible with Assembly Bill 2140, which opened up funds for use in disaster recovery. Murphy estimated that the city’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) hadn’t yet been added to the Safety Element during the damaging storms in January 2023, and if they had, the city could have gotten another $40,000 in emergency funds.
The council passed the first reading of the amended Cross-Connection Control Plan ordinance, and approval of the actual CCC Plan, which outlines the city’s compliance framework for backflow prevention, hazard assessments, inspection and testing procedures, and legal enforcement authority. Utility Director Jose Acosta said it was the city’s program for protecting its plumbing.
The council OK’d a new agreement with Wildan Engineering for Building Official Services, Plan Review, and Inspection, and an agreement with 4Leaf, Inc. as an on-call contractor for the same services if Wildan is not available. The fiscal impact of the two agreements was give as $200,000.
The City Council will next meet on Monday, Aug. 11, at 6:30 p.m.
