Roanoke Rapids City Council and the Roanoke Rapids Graded School District Board of Education Tuesday night approved a memorandum of understanding for traffic control officers.

The agreement, according to a memo from City Attorney Geoffrey Davis contained in the council agenda packet, allows the city to create two traffic control officer positions, who will be city employees and not law enforcement officers.

The school district will reimburse the city for the full cost of the TCO wages and start-up costs.

The agreement starts on July 1 and will be in place for a year.

"We are excited to move forward in this partnership with the Roanoke Rapids Police Department,” RRGSD Superintendant Julie Thompson said Wednesday. “As always, our top priority is student safety, and this MOU highlights our shared commitment to keeping our students and community safe during arrival and dismissal." 

Davis told the council Tuesday the final agreement came out of negotiations with the school system and was the product of drafts going back and forth between himself and the school board attorney. “I’m recommending that the city council approve this.”

He said, “The high school isn’t really in need of these services but the two elementary schools — Manning and Belmont — and the middle school — Chaloner — are in need of these services.”

Historically, Davis said, the services were provided by off-duty police officers. “It has become more and more difficult over the years and (with) the changing nature of off-duty work to provide those services or make sure we’ve got the coverage.”

Since the discussions began, he said the police department has made a manful effort to try to cover the gaps. He said, however, “This proposal is with an eye towards trying to get a more permanent solution to this problem so that we’re not having to scramble.”

The MOU includes reimbursement for equipment at a cost of $1,591.90 for items like shirts, pants, whistles, safety vests and stop signs. 

Wages are not to exceed $30,000 during the term.

The agreement notes that Belmont “is the school most in need of personnel to regulate and control traffic while the school is taking in and letting out students. To this end it is contemplated that the city will endeavor to prioritize the provision of traffic control personnel to this location with the other schools having a secondary priority.”