MARION, IL — The Marion City Council approved Police Chief David Fitts’ recommendation to hire five school safety officers to serve the remainder of this school year per the intergovernmental agreement with the Marion Unit 2 School District at Monday’s meeting.

They are Angelo Hightower, Doug Brinkley, James “Tony” Reynolds, Ben Wilson and Bradley Bosecker. Each school safety officer will be paid $20 per hour with no benefits to be reimbursed by the school district.

The council also approved the police chief’s recommendation to hire two part-time animal control officers as presented at $11 an hour. These were unfilled positions left open by some recent vacancies.

The council approved raising the retail and service occupation tax rate by three-quarters of a percent. It will go into effect Jan. 1. And the ordinance regarding the city’s video gaming code establishing a new fee structure and the resolution committing to the abatement of future property tax levies in 2020 and beyond were both approved by the council.