Saint Paul City Attorney outlines budget changes as ARPA-funded prosecutors phase out; highlights Ethos and neighborhood safety work

Saint Paul City Attorney Lindsay Olsen presented the city attorney’s proposed 2026 budget to the Finance and Budget Committee, saying the office will face staff reductions as ARP-funded positions end and that some successful programs are being given formal budget lines.

Olsen said the combined City Attorney Office (CAO) and Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) 2025 budget is about $20.1 million, roughly $14 million of which is CAO; the office took a $300,000 reduction this year and added a formal operating line for the ETHOS restorative-justice program.

The ETHOS line item followed a $100,000 allocation received last year and a proposed ongoing operating amount of $70,000, Olsen said. On program outcomes she noted a referral increase of roughly 60% from 2023 to 2024 and said the program enrolled 202 participants in 2024. “Ethos is a program for is a restorative justice program that's an alternative to traditional prosecution,” Olsen said, describing ETHOS as a diversionary track handled within the city attorney’s criminal division.

Why it matters: Olsen and ONS leaders told council members the end of ARPA funding for several positions will reduce the office’s capacity to manage caseloads, maintain diversion programs and sustain community interventions that city leaders credit with reducing gun-related harm.

The budget presentation reviewed a criminal backlog project funded by ARPA that, according to the materials, helped reduce…