Hudson council approves amended SRO agreement, retains 50/50 cost split and removes automatic renewal

The Hudson City Council approved revisions to its agreement with the Hudson Community School District for a school resource officer (SRO), leaving the cost-sharing arrangement at 50/50, extending that split to a 12-month basis, and removing an automatic renewal clause.

Staff member (S2) told the council the revised draft “removed the automatic renewal. It’s now drafted such that it ends at the conclusion of every school year unless one of the parties seeks to do something by way of written agreement.” The change was intended to avoid binding future councils to the same terms by automatic renewal.

Council members discussed whether the district should bear more of the annual cost; one member recalled a suggestion of a 75/25 split but said it “was never agreed on” in meetings with district officials. Chair (S3) described the relationship between the city and the schools as reciprocal — noting use of buses, facilities and summer programs — and argued the 50/50 split is fair. “We kept the $50.50, for paying the the the SRO $50.50,” Chair (S3) said when summarizing the revised pay arrangement.

Under the revised terms explained at the meeting, the SRO’s salary-sharing now covers 12 months rather than the prior practice of 9 months; staff acknowledged that the longer spread will increase the city’s annual share compared with past billing practices. Staff also said the district will have “collaborative input” on who is appointed as the SRO, although the city retains final hiring authority for the position it offers.

The resolution approving the contract for school resource officer services with the Hudson Community School District (Resolution 34-68) was moved, seconded and approved as part of the resolution calendar.

Next steps: the council approved the resolution calendar and directed staff to present the final contract documents for processing as approved.