CANYON COUNTY, Idaho — Neighbors in Wilder may soon get to directly vote on whether license plate reading cameras stay in their city.
Tyler Cain lives in Wilder and is pushing for more public input regarding the handful of license plate reading cameras installed around town. Neighborhood Reporter Victoria Rodriguez first met Cain last month, and now he is leading a voter initiative he hopes will land on the ballot in 2027.
WATCH | Wilder resident pushes voter initiative over license plate cameras—
"I would’ve never had to do this if they had just had a meeting and said, ' Hey, we’re putting these cameras in, let’s make an ordinance,'" Cain said.
Three cameras are now operating in Wilder. Two are near Simplot and 5th Street, and one is on Peckham Road next to the Wilder Community Park. Another camera has been installed in Greenleaf, directly in front of City Hall.
Cain said his concerns grew as he looked into how the cameras were approved and funded. He pointed to city budget documents where he said there was no clear, separate line item specifically identifying the system.
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He said he first considered a recall effort but shifted to a voter initiative as a more achievable option. Cain said he has already gathered the 20 initial signatures required to submit the initiative to the city.
"I think most people have no problem with a camera, you know, I have cameras on my house," Cain said.
"But when we’re paying a company the ridiculous amount of money, $3,500 a year, basically to do whatever they want, there’s no real safeguards," Cain said.
At the same time, Wilder is seeing changes in city leadership. Mayor Steve Rhodes quietly stepped down from his role during a city council meeting last week, adding to ongoing debates over transparency.
For Cain, it all comes down to public involvement, especially when spending taxpayer money.
"They want people to be involved, and then you get people involved and then they get upset that people are involved," Cain said.
"They said that people showing up to speak at the, not this last city council meeting, but the one before, were disorderly, and it's not disorderly," Cain said.
Wilder Police Chief Dusty Tveidt confirmed the mayor retired. Tveidt told me the voter initiative around Flock cameras is moving through the city’s review process.
Cain said he is now waiting for the city attorney to get back to him with any suggested changes before moving forward to the city council.
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