The Athens City Council met Tuesday evening for both committee meetings and regular session to debate a proposed drone grant and adjustments to the city’s 2026 budget.
Councilmember Paul Isherwood, At-Large, introduced the federal Drones for Fire Responders grant program, which the Athens Police Chief applied for through the Department of Transportation.
“The chief of the police had applied for this grant through the Department of Transportation, and the support that I showed for this program came from a number of factors,” Isherwood said. “One as a way for our city services to more effectively respond to emergencies is because of the cost-effectiveness of the program.”
Isherwood said the equipment would be provided at no cost to the city.
“It does not cost the city a dime to get this piece of equipment that could be very effective,” Isherwood said.
Mayor Steve Patterson said drones have already been used in several recent incidents to assess potentially dangerous scenes.
“There are three incidents that have happened over the course of the past several months where either drone was used effectively in making sure that a scene was safe,” Patterson said. “Back on Aug. 7, 2025 … the information that we were receiving at the police department was that there were explosives as well inside that building. The drone was the right tool … to make sure the building was in fact safe.”
Despite those assurances, several residents voiced concerns about privacy and data collection.
Benjamin Brewster, a 3rd Ward resident who lives on Spring Street, argued the grant could infringe on constitutional protections.
“The drones for first responders grant would directly violate the Fourth Amendment rights of the residents of the city of Athens with warrantless recordings during flyovers of private property to and from crime scenes,” Brewster said. “The program would represent a major step in the direction of a constant law enforcement surveillance.”
Other residents questioned how data collected by the drones would be stored and shared.
Jeff Kuhn, an Athens resident, said the issue extended beyond police use to contractual agreements with private companies.
“Really what we’re talking about is not the issue of the drone in of itself, but the contracts with the companies that we agree with and work with to facilitate this technology, right?” Kuhn said. “The issue is not how our law enforcement uses this technology but contract assignment companies … so what they do with our data and how we move through the city is really the issue at hand.”
Patterson said the city would review any vendor contracts carefully.
“I like the question that was raised earlier about the contracts that we need to scour through those contracts to make sure that there are certainly additional guardrails for the city of Athens,” Patterson said.
After discussion, the council voted 5-2 not to move the measure to regular session, leaving the matter open for further consideration.
Separately, council debated Ordinance 0-05-26, which proposes reducing 2026 year-end appropriations. The ordinance, read for a second time, prompted discussion about whether cutting appropriations now could require restoring funds later.
“Right now, we can press this lever, so we’ll have to press a different lever later,” Councilmember Michael Wood, D-3rd Ward, said. “I think that’s the tension that is difficult.”
The ordinance was passed unanimously under suspension of the rules.
Council also discussed 2026 uptown street closures before moving into executive session and adjourning.
