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Mount Vernon council advances plan to add school resource officer for St. Vincent Depal School
Summary
Councilors discussed Ordinance 20 2026 555 to create a new police position to serve as a full‑time school resource officer (SRO) for St. Vincent Depal School, with a proposed 75/25 cost split (school/city), an expected total annual cost of about $100,000, and staff pursuing a COPS grant to offset expenses.
Council member Mrs. Keenir moved the employing committee’s proposal to add a police position so the city can hire a full‑time school resource officer (SRO) to serve St. Vincent Depal School.
The police chief told the council the school has requested a full‑time SRO and that the city has discussed a cost‑sharing arrangement with the school that would cover 75% of the officer’s time for nine months and leave 25% of the officer’s time (three summer months) for regular police duties. The chief said the school would cover roughly 75% of the officer’s total cost and the city 25%.
Officials described the arithmetic differently at points: the chief said there is a referenced $75,000 cap for the school’s contribution (described in the meeting as a cap “for them”), while also saying the full annual cost to the city for a fully loaded officer — including salary, insurance, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation coverage, and pension pickup — is about $100,000. Council members and staff noted the cap and full‑cost figures together, and staff said the city would pick up amounts above the stated cap if necessary.
Council members asked whether the same contract structure could be made available to Mount Vernon City Schools or other public schools. Staff said the city currently has a joint contract that covers the middle and high school with Mount Vernon City Schools and the Knox County Career Center (the career center covers 25%, the city 25% and Mount Vernon City Schools 50% in that arrangement), and that the St. Vincent Depal arrangement would be a separate contract; the city could entertain additional SRO agreements under the same cost‑sharing structure.
On contract length, staff said they prefer a multi‑year commitment rather than year‑to‑year renewals. The school expressed willingness to consider a minimum three‑year commitment and possibly up to five years; staff said this duration would be written into the contract and reviewed at renewal.
A council member asked what would happen if the school declined to renew after the multiyear term. Staff described two options discussed in the meeting: the city could absorb the position and assign the officer to other police duties as the department grows, or, as a last resort, the city could face human‑resources actions up to layoffs if the position could not be absorbed. Staff said they did not foresee layoff as likely.
To offset the city’s share, staff said they are preparing a COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) grant application; the chief said the grant can provide up to $125,000 over three years for new positions and that a larger $158 million pool was currently available, though awards are competitive and not guaranteed.
Mrs. Keenir told the council she planned to bring Ordinance 20 2026 555 to a third and final reading that evening unless strong opposition emerged, signaling an intent to move the ordinance forward quickly.
The council did not record a final vote in the transcript provided; the ordinance’s third reading was described as planned rather than completed.
Ending: The council closed discussion on the SRO ordinance and moved on to the Streets and Public Buildings agenda.
