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Council liaison: unarmed crisis response pilot remains under study; city setting aside marijuana-excise funds
Summary
The commission's council liaison reported that city council continues studying unarmed crisis response models, is visiting other jurisdictions, and is holding funding from marijuana excise tax in reserve pending a pilot plan.
Council liaison reported that the Ann Arbor City Council continues to research options for an unarmed crisis response pilot and is holding designated marijuana excise tax funds until the city has enough information to design a feasible local pilot.
At the April 22 meeting, the liaison summarized a recent presentation by the city administrator on the fiscal year budget and the unarmed crisis response work. The administrator has visited other communities to learn lessons about program scope and limitations. According to the liaison, some jurisdictions do not run such programs 24/7 and they are limited to specific types of responses; council members told the commission it is unrealistic to expect a program that never involves police because legal and safety roles sometimes require law enforcement involvement.
The city is retaining a portion of its marijuana excise-tax rebate in a reserved fund to pay for a future pilot once the city finalizes the program design and determines operational needs. The liaison said council remains committed to standing up a pilot when it has the operational model and cost estimates.
Commissioners noted this update responds to prior questions from the oversight commission about the timeline and scope of a potential unarmed response program. The liaison directed members to the council meeting video for the city administrator’s full remarks and said the administrator discussed the program roughly three-quarters of the way through that presentation.
