City Board of Public Works & Safety Approves MOUs with ADDD Equities and Plymouth Schools

Two Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) were approved during last week’s Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

The first MOU is between the City of Plymouth, ADDD Equities LLC, and Construction Management & Design Inc. City Attorney Sean Surrisi said the two companies involved are part of the Collins Umbrella of businesses. 

Working with Alan Collins and their attorney Burke Richeson along with the Plymouth Complete Streets Committee and Plan Commission over the last few months to acquire land to construct a sidewalk or trail on Oak Drive from Jefferson Street to U.S. 30.

The city’s zoning ordinance requires new construction to the sidewalk with your project unless you come to the Plan Commissioner and seek an exception.  In the last few years, there have been a couple of exceptions granted.

To construct the sidewalks in the future, the MOU will give the City of Plymouth a 10-foot easement. 

The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety approved the acceptance of the right-of-way easement.

The second MOU approved was between the Plymouth Police Department and the Plymouth Community School Corporation for the assignment of a school resource officer.  Surrisi said the city council in the 2023 budget decided to fund a second school resource officer but due to staffing issues that hasn’t happened yet.  The new MOU contemplates during the term of the agreement that a second officer could be added for a daily per diem.  The agreement also increases the rate the school will pay for the officer.  Under the 2019 agreement, it was $37,000 annually and in the new agreement, it increased to $50,000.  The MOU also shortens the number of years the agreement can be renewed from 3 years to 2 years of extensions which will allow them to keep on top of the salary increases the city offers. 

This specific agreement is tailored specifically to Officer Bridget Hite.  There is an addendum added to the agreement to add the second school resource officer and can be executed at a later date. 

The city attorney and Police Chief Dave Bacon met with Superintendent Mitch Mawhorter and Ted Brown the school safety director to discuss the new agreement.  The Plymouth School Board approved the MOU at their meeting on June 6^th and the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety unanimously approved the agreement on June 12^th.