AUBURN — Voters will be able to choose whether to ban automatic license plate reader systems in the city on March 2, 2027. 

City councilors voted Monday to set a vote for the measure, which comes after residents spent months pursuing a citizens initiative to put the issue before the City Council. 

The proposed ordinance prohibits Auburn from using automatic license plate recognition systems, which includes the use of computer algorithms that make images of license plates searchable, and restricts the city from accessing information generated through other automatic license plate recognition systems.

Absentee voting and in-person early voting will begin 30 days before March 2, 2027.

Republican state Reps. Laurel Libby and Quentin Chapman of Auburn and Rep. David Boyer of Poland initiated the petition drive after residents became aware city police installed Flock Safety cameras without public input or a council vote. 

The petition, which gathered over 200 signatures more than the required 1,568, was handed in to the city July 30 and verified by the city clerk. 

The measure came before councilors on Sept. 21 and was rejected, which automatically sent it to voters. 

Councilors opted in May while building the 2026-27 city budget not to fund further use of Flock Safety’s system and terminated the city’s agreement in August. 

After weeks of silence following a request by the city to have the cameras and equipment removed, Flock Safety recently notified city officials that removal is being scheduled. No timeline was set by the company.

According to the agreement between the city and Flock Safety, equipment will be removed within a “commercially reasonable” period of time, which the city interprets as six to eight weeks. If the cameras and equipment have not been removed by the end of that period, the city will remove them, city officials said.