City Council authorized the city manager to sign a contract with Axon on May 12, 2026 (Resolution 26-99), before the contract existed (the May 7 briefing). Emails released Aug 20, 2026 dated the signature package to July 16 (The RTIC Policy). The signed contract is now public: the City of Asheville posted it on its Technology and Public Safety page in August 2026, in two files under the label “Sourcewell/Axon Combined,” with the Sourcewell master agreement and the FUSUS appendix beside it. This page reads the eight pages the city posted. Local copies with hashes are held by this site (SRC 2026-0955 and 2026-0956). What the contract references and the city has not posted is listed at the end.
This site said until Sept 23, 2026 that the contract had not been released; the correction is on Corrections.
What it is
City of Asheville Contract No. 92700065, “Cooperative Services Contract,” “made and entered this 1st day of August, 2026,” between the city and Axon Enterprise, “pursuant to Sourcewell Cooperative Contract [number] 101223-AXN.” The header notes: “Contracts $90,000 and above require a Council Resolution. Resolution [number] 26-99 has been approved.” The city’s electronic signature page describes it as “AXON COMBINE CONTRACT WITH FUSUS ADDITION (FY27).”
Scope, clause 1: “Contractor shall furnish all labor, material, equipment, supervision and permits as necessary to bundle all existing agreements for the City of Asheville’s Police Department’s current inventory of Body-Worn Cameras, Tasers, Drones, Lightpost and Interview Room to include equipment, warranties, licensing, and cloud storage for all, and add FUSUS software, utilizing the pricing offered through Sourcewell cooperative contract [number] 101223-AXN as set forth more explicitly in Exhibit A (Scope of Work) and Exhibit B (COOP Contract).”
Exhibit A, the scope of work, in full: “Reference Axon quote [number] Q-808220-46198AS. Axon will bundle all existing agreements for APD’s current inventory of Body-Worn Cameras, Tasers, Drones, Lightpost and Interview Room to include equipment, warranties, licensing, and cloud storage for all, and add FUSUS software as a new service. Agency has existing contract(s) originated via Quote(s): Q-478497, Q-531950, Q-602581, Q-605006, Q-576719, Q-638199, Q-685886, Q-772280, Q-786421, Q-787125. Axon is terminating those contracts effective 8/1/2026. Any changes in this date will result in modification of the program value which may result in additional fees or credits due to or from Axon. The parties agree that Axon is applying a Transfer Balance of $109,879.59. 100% discounted body-worn camera and docking station hardware reflects a TAP replacement for hardware purchased under existing quotes aforementioned above. All TAP obligations from this contract will be considered fulfilled upon execution of this quote.”
Ten prior Axon agreements end Aug 1, 2026 and this one replaces them. TAP is Axon’s hardware-refresh program. The quote the scope refers to, Q-808220-46198AS, is the document that lists what was bought and in what quantity; it is not among the posted files.
The term and the money
“This is a multi-year contract to begin on August 1, 2026 and end on December 31, 2033.” Clause 2 sets the payments:
| Year | Period | Payment |
|---|---|---|
| 1a | Aug 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027 | $740,000.00 |
| 1b | ”December 1, 2026 - FUSUS; DOJ grant funded” | $467,602.15 |
| 2 | Aug 1, 2027 to July 31, 2028 | $777,500.00 |
| 3 | Aug 1, 2028 to July 31, 2029 | $816,875.00 |
| 4 | Aug 1, 2029 to July 31, 2030 | $858,219.00 |
| 5 | Aug 1, 2030 to July 31, 2031 | $901,630.00 |
| 6 | Aug 1, 2031 to July 31, 2032 | $947,211.00 |
| 7 | Aug 1, 2032 to July 31, 2033 | $931,935.00 |
| 7.5 | Aug 1, 2033 to Dec 31, 2033 | $982,189.00 |
| ”total (excluding taxes)“ | $7,423,161.15 |
Clause 21: “The City is not tax exempt”; sales tax is added to invoices. The nine figures sum to the stated total. The DOJ-funded line is the Fusus subscription; the other eight lines, $6,955,559.00, are city money. From year 1a to year 6 each year is about 5.06 percent higher than the last. Year 7 is lower than year 6, and the final five months are billed at more than any full year; the posted documents do not say why. The city’s May 12 staff report gave $740,000 for FY27 and $777,500 for FY28 and put the bundling savings over the term at $46,948.25 (cost and savings, checked). Axon’s pricebook page posted with the contract carries the note “Annual pricing for bundles, warranties and licenses may reflect a 4% YOY inflation escalator.”
Leaving it
Three clauses govern exit, and they point in different directions.
Clause 10, the city’s template: “This contract may be terminated for cause or convenience by either party, with thirty (30) days’ prior written notice. Notice shall be served under this contract by registered mail, certified mail, or by other means. Any termination of this Agreement is subject to Section 16 of Exhibit A of the COOP Contract.”
Clause 22: “Subject to applicable law, in the event of ambiguity, inconsistency, or conflict between these terms and the terms in the COOP Contract, including any Amendments thereto, the terms of the COOP Contract shall control.”
Section 16 of Axon’s Master Services and Purchasing Agreement (Exhibit B, the Sourcewell contract, pages 30 to 31) provides termination for breach after thirty days’ notice and a cure period (16.1), termination by the agency “if sufficient funds are not appropriated or otherwise legally available to pay the fees” (16.2), and, on any early termination, that “Axon will invoice Agency the difference between the MSRP for Axon Devices received, including any Spare Axon Devices, and amounts paid towards those Axon Devices,” with device return allowed “only if terminating for non-appropriation” (16.3). The same agreement, section 3: “Payment obligations are non-cancelable.” Section 2: “Upon completion of the Subscription Term, the Subscription Term will automatically renew for an additional 5 years,” with price increases “by up to 3% at the beginning of each year of the Renewal Term.”
Whether the thirty-day convenience clause in the city’s template survives clause 22 and Section 16 is a question the posted documents do not answer. Council can ask the city attorney on the record (Asking About the RTIC). For what the same terms did in other cities, and the one-year, capped deal Denver negotiated, see What Axon Contracts Do.
Clause 19, non-appropriation: all funds “are subject to the availability of an annual appropriation for this purpose by the City.” On non-appropriation the city terminates on thirty days’ notice, returns “all Devices to Contractor within 30 days of termination,” and if it does, “Contractor will not invoice the City for the remaining MSRP value of the Devices.” Every budget vote is therefore a vote on this contract; the same is true of the county’s (Follow the Money).
Clause 19.1, the Fusus carve-out, in full: “FUSUS: Agency may terminate the FUSUS portion of this Quote if sufficient funds are not appropriated or otherwise legally available to pay the fees, or if the Agency doesn’t receive the anticipated grant funding towards the FUSUS purchase. Agency will provide Axon with written notice of termination under this clause as soon as reasonably practicable. Only if terminating for non-appropriation, Agency may return Axon Devices to Axon within 30 days of termination, and if returned, Axon will not invoice Agency for the remaining MSRP value of the Axon Devices. Agency will remain responsible for the cost of any Services received or Subscriptions utilized. For avoidance of doubt, in the event Agency exercises this termination right in accordance with the above terms, only the FUSUS portion of the Quote will be terminated and removed from future invoicing, and all other products, services, and amounts listed herein will remain active.” This is the clause the July 2026 emails described (The RTIC Policy); the city can drop Fusus if the grant fails or is not appropriated, and everything else stays.
Lightpost
Lightpost is Axon’s fixed, pole-mounted plate reader. The word appears twice in the posted files: in the scope sentence, as part of APD’s “current inventory,” and on the pricebook page, as “LIGHTPOST PLAN $385.72,” marked as a bundle and subscription item. On Aug 25, 2026 the mayor told council: “We do not have stationary Axon license plate readers. We have a contract where Axon will provide them if we tell them we want them” (2026-08-25 City Council). The city’s Axon portal on Sept 23, 2026 listed 0 Lightpost and 0 Outpost devices active. What the scope line refers to, a plan already purchased, hardware in storage, or a template phrase, is not answerable from the posted documents. It is on the ask list for the city manager (Asking About the RTIC), and a records request for any Lightpost or Outpost device purchased, delivered, stored or licensed by APD would settle it (Records Center).
The FUSUS appendix
Posted beside the contract: the Sourcewell amendment Axon signed July 9, 2024. It sets the product tiers and the data rule.
| Lite | Basic | Pro | Enterprise | Enterprise Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managed end points | 150 | 150 | 500 | 1,500 | 4,500 |
| Video streams connected | 0 | 150 | 500 | 1,500 | 4,500 |
| Indefinite cloud storage | 2 TB | 5 TB | 10 TB | 30 TB |
“Overages may result in additional fees or the need to upgrade products.” The data clause: “Axon may collect, use, transfer, disclose and otherwise process Customer Content in the context of facilitating communication of data with Customer through their use of FUSUS cloud services FUSUS app (iOS or Android interface), complying with legal requirements, monitoring the Customer’s use of FUSUS systems, and undertaking data analytics. Customer Content saved in Axon Cloud Services is the sole property of Customer and may not be distributed by Axon to any third parties outside of the Customer’s organization without the Customer’s expressed written consent.” The tier Asheville bought is in the quote.
What the master agreement says about data
The contract defers to Axon’s Master Services and Purchasing Agreement, version 19.0, which the city posted as Exhibit B (104 pages; local copy SRC 2026-0964). Its cloud terms set out who owns what:
- Section 3, “Agency Owns Agency Content”: “Agency controls and owns all right, title, and interest in Agency Content.” The same section: “Agency agrees to allow Axon access to Agency Content to (a) perform troubleshooting, maintenance, or diagnostic screenings; and (b) enforce this Agreement or policies governing use of the Axon products.”
- Section 6, Privacy: “Non-Content Data” is “data, configuration, and usage information about Agency’s Axon Cloud Services tenant, Axon Devices and client software, and users,” and the agency agrees “to allow Axon access to Non-Content Data” to “provide, develop, improve, and support current and future Axon products and related services.”
- The Customer Experience Improvement Program appendix: “By default, Agency will be a participant in ACEIP Tier 1,” under which Axon “may make limited use of Agency Content from all of its customers to provide, develop, improve, and support current and future Axon products.” The appendix’s own examples include “extracting license plate data to improve Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) capabilities.” Consent can be revoked in writing, after which Axon has 30 days to stop and delete.
The city’s opt-out rests on a sales representative’s July 16, 2026 email; the contract text does not mention it, and Axon’s written confirmation is not posted (The RTIC Policy). The master agreement sets no retention period for plate reads or Fusus content, and neither do the eight contract pages. On May 12, 2026 the chief told council: “Axon neither has access to the Fusus or to the system, or retains data” (the claims, with sources).
Who signed, and when
- Axon: its executive vice president for global operations, notarized in Maricopa County, Arizona, July 21, 2026.
- The city’s signature page, electronic: Interim Chief Jackie Stepp as department director, July 27, 2026, conveying that the contract “has been reviewed and presented for approval by the City of Asheville”; the chief financial officer or designee, July 27, 2026, certifying the pre-audit “required by the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act”; City Manager D.K. Wesley, Aug 4, 2026. The line “Council Resolution # 26-” on that page is left without a number.
Council authorized the contract May 12, 2026; the vote was 6 to 1, Kim Roney the no (2026-05-12 City Council). The contract went to Axon for signature July 16, was notarized on Axon’s side July 21, was signed by the chief July 27 and by the manager Aug 4, and carries the date Aug 1. Council member Sage Turner relayed on Aug 13 that the complete contract would be public the next day; the PDF’s metadata date is Aug 14, and Roney thanked staff for the upload at the Aug 25 meeting.
What is referenced and not posted
- Axon quote Q-808220-46198AS: the products, quantities, unit prices and the Fusus tier. A resident requested it on Aug 17, 2026 and it was not provided (2026-09-24 Public Safety Committee).
- The contract for 20 Axon Fleet in-car plate readers, in “final signature stage” per a July 13, 2026 email (The RTIC Policy).
- Axon’s written confirmation that the city is out of the ACEIP data program, which Axon’s appendix says it provides within 30 days of a request.
- The April 2024 agreement for the Axon in-car plate readers, listed in the city page’s timeline; whether it is among the ten quotes the scope ends is not stated. It was not brought to council.
- The DOJ award conditions for the $1,141,255.56 earmark, published to the city after acceptance (Chuck Edwards).
Each is drafted as a request on Records Center.
Related: The Real-Time Intelligence Center · What Axon Contracts Do · The RTIC Policy · Promise Tracker · Documents · Axon
Region: Asheville · Last verified: September 24, 2026