City staff told the Buffalo City Council that they are seeking approval to extend by six months the city's contract with Endeavor Health Services, the contractor that works with Buffalo Police Department (BPD) behavioral-health teams, because the existing contract is set to expire the following day.

The request prompted several council members to object to the timing and ask for details. "We shouldn't get it at the very end," a council member said, urging earlier notice for contracts that affect public services. City staff said negotiations are ongoing and some details are subject to attorney-level negotiation, but pledged to provide the council a copy of the current contract and additional data.

Staff described the role Endeavor plays alongside BPD: clinicians evaluate people in crisis, link them to services, and reduce the number of repeat police contacts. "They work well with our people. Our people are happy with them. ... A clinician comes in and does evaluations with individuals in crisis, evaluates them for services, and then links them with those services," a city staff member said. The staff member added the program frees patrol officers to handle law-enforcement duties and steers people into medical and mental-health care instead of the criminal-justice system.

Staff provided usage figures in response to council questions: "Year to date, sir, they've had 248 call out requests. They've self-dispatched 436 times, and they've done 2,854 follow-ups," the staff member said. Council members asked for historical data from prior years and for metrics that would demonstrate the program's performance; staff said those earlier-year figures were not immediately available but agreed to provide them.

Council members expressed support for maintaining behavioral-health coverage while also pressing administration staff to give the council adequate time to review contract terms. Jeremiah, a city staff member, said he would deliver a copy of the current agreement to staff lead Pedro so members could review it before the next council meeting.

The presiding member said the motion on the agenda was to approve the extension; several council members indicated support during the discussion. Staff reiterated that they would provide the current contract and the status of negotiations to council members the same day they discussed the extension.

The discussion took place during general agenda review; council members requested greater transparency on what may be discussed in open session versus executive session when negotiations are ongoing.

Actions taken or proposed at the meeting were limited to the motion to extend the existing contract for six months and a staff commitment to provide contract documents and additional performance data ahead of the next council meeting.