MT. VERNON — Student resource officers from the Mt. Vernon Police Department will again be stationed at Mt. Vernon Township High School and Mt. Vernon District 80 after Monday night’s Mt. Vernon City Council meeting.

A 2-year agreement with Mt. Vernon Township High School was approved while the agreement with District 80 was for five years.

Both districts will pay for 75% of the uniformed officers in their building and both resolutions were approved by a 4-1 margin. The uniformed officer will serve each district for 10 months and return to the streets over the summer months.

The lone dissenting was from Councilman Jim Rippy who argued that MVTHS should foot the entire expense of the officer on their campus.

“I’ll be voting no unless the school pays 100%,” Rippy said.

After City Manager Mary Ellen Bechtel told Rippy they pay 100% of the officer’s time on campus, Rippy continued, “They should pay 100% of his benefits, his salary, and COBRA package, because they have a lot more money than we do. They’re flush and we watched them take a $60 million school out there and turn it into an $85 million project. So, I’m in full support of having a resource officer–two if you have to have them–but the school has the money and with the city and the finances of the city they should be paying 100%.”

The recent water crisis was also discussed at the meeting. Mayor John Lewis also thanked everyone who helped the city and its residents make it through the water crisis, especially the city employees, businesses and volunteers who helped with the water distribution process.

The council echoed many of those same sentiments and thanked Mt. Vernon Rend Lake Conservancy District Trustees Kischa Jackson and Nicholas LeMay for their activity in getting information to the public.

In other business the council:
-Established an administrative procedure for the city to determine eligibility under the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act.

-Heard bid results for bridge replacement on Ambassador Road, the water system upgrade project, and the Vernwood Water Tank painting project.

-Approved waiving bidding requirements to purchase new terminals for Mt. Vernon Police Department squad cars

-Approved waiving bidding requirements in order to seek quotes for installation of an air conditioning unit for the concession stand at Lincoln Park.

-Approved the annexation of real estate located at 929 Fairfield Road.

The next regular board meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 4, 2018, at the Rolland Lewis Building.