Plymouth City Council approves additional appropriations for public safety building planning and Opioid Settlement Funds

The Plymouth City Council moved forward Monday evening with two additional appropriations following a public hearing, approving $45,000 for City Properties and $25,000 from the Unrestricted Opioid Settlement Fund in a 5-1 vote.

The $45,000 in City Properties funding will be used to hire Veritas Advisors, an Indianapolis-based firm, to assist the city as it continues to explore the development of either a combined public safety building or a new fire station. Veritas Advisors provides specialized Owner's Technical Representation (OTR) services for capital construction projects, serving as an independent advocate for municipalities by managing budgets, schedules, and contractor coordination from the planning phase through project completion.

Mayor Robert Listenberger told the council that the city has reached the point where it is ready to begin seeking Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) to assemble a "Build Operate Transfer" (BOT) team. A BOT team typically brings together architects, engineers, construction managers, and financial experts to execute a project through three distinct phases. Under this public-private partnership model, a private developer finances, builds, and manages a public facility for a set period before ultimately transferring ownership back to the city.

The second appropriation of $25,000 involves Unrestricted Opioid Settlement Funds that were previously approved for Marshall County Safe Housing back in March, though the formal additional appropriation was not approved at that time. Monday's vote addressed that outstanding action.

The resolution passed 5-1, with Councilwoman Shiloh Milner absent from the meeting. The lone dissenting vote came from Councilman Randy Longanecker, who clarified his position to GIANT fm WTCA following the meeting. Longanecker said he was not opposed to the funding for the public safety building planning process but took issue specifically with the $25,000 in opioid settlement funds being directed to Marshall County Safe Housing.

"I didn't feel it was the taxpayers' duty to relocate people," Longanecker said.