During a long seven hour meeting the City Council ended the night with a vote Monday.  In the four to three vote the council decided to opt out of re-considering the camera surveillance proposal.  If passed, this proposal would have placed cameras near downtown intersections and parking garages.

This issue came to light when 25-year-old Adam Taylor was attacked June 6 in the parking garage on Tenth and Cherry.  His mother, Karen Taylor, has been advocating for camera surveillance ever since.

After Monday night's decision Taylor expressed her concern.  "I'm very disappointed that the council wouldn't be open to public comment."  She said she is working on other steps to take from this point.  "We are not ready to give up on it.  It's too critical to our community."

Council members say their concern with the cameras is the issue of privacy.  Even though Councilwoman Laura Nauser is against the proposal. 

Nauser explained, "I just have a problem with cameras roaming the downtown and being controlled by government....I just don't want government officials in charge of cameras that can be moved through the community."

Councilman Jason Thornhill favors the proposal.  "You give up a degree of privacy when you go out on a public street.  I do understand that there are some folks who think that because you are out there you are not subjected to being watched constantly and monitored.  But I don't think that was the primary goal of the cameras.  It was to have them there in case something happened not to continually monitor what is happening."

Columbia Mayor Darwin Hindman said he wanted to re-open discussion and like Taylor wants cameras installed downtown. "I will do anything to help her cause."

"The cameras augment what the police are able to do.  People should be titled to that comfort and protection," said Hindman.

So far there are no plans for a similar proposal.  Taylor said she needs a couple days to decide where to go from here.