MONROE — Council members unanimously agreed to move forward with the drafting of a contract for a school resource officer to be hired out of the Monroe Police Department, even as continued talks over whether to hire a new officer remained contentious.

Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley remained certain the city should hire a new patrol officer once an SRO is stationed at the Monroe High School even as he said he believes the addition to the district will meet requests by the public.

“Having an SRO at the school is probably something that does fit into community policing,” Kelley said. “What the community wants we try to provide. At the same time, you only have so many officers to do so many things. There’s a delicate balance of how many it takes to do that.”

He added that the community also expects police officers to respond if a crime occurs.

Alderwoman Brooke Bauman reiterated a concern she has brought in past meetings over whether a new officer should be hired and supported the need for adequate staffing at the department. 

City Administrator Phil Rath said the interpretation of what constitutes lowered staff numbers differs by the individual evaluating figures.

“I don’t know if it’s a shortage,” Rath said, adding that taking someone from a specific patrol route around the school and placing them within it isn’t a large shift. “It’s a reallocation of resources.”

Regardless of the discussion over whether the department has a shortage and if an independent staffing survey should be conducted, council members approved of drafting a contract 9-0. The notion of hiring a company to evaluate personnel numbers was voted against during budget talks in the fall due to an estimated cost of more than $30,000. 

The details of the contract with an SRO still have to be finalized, Rath said. He noted that he will serve as the person to speak with school administrators and bring information to council members as updates are needed. A finalized contract with details like overtime and vacation benefits should be brought for approval by the council “within a few weeks,” Rath said. 

Currently, the city and school district plan to share costs of paying the officer. The district will utilize Fund 80, which covers the expenses of community outreach and is separate from the fund which pays for operating expenses like teachers’ salaries, to pay 60 percent of SRO salary and benefits. 

The timeline to choose an SRO includes plans for interviews to take place and a person to be hired before June. District Administrator Rick Waski has said it would be ideal to have a person in the position over the summer to ensure they can attend planned tactical trainings at the school buildings, SRO-specific training at other locations and be present during inservice days in late August to go over operations with educators and administrative staff.