The Mountlake Terrace City Council voted to authorize the police chief to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with BlueBridge Alliance that will let officers provide short-term, on-the-spot assistance to residents facing immediate needs.

The program equips officers with debit cards tied to a BlueBridge account to pay for items such as food, overnight lodging, clothing, small auto repairs and transportation. Staff said a $2,500 onboarding grant plus a matched contribution of up to $2,500 will create an initial $5,000 seed pool; the city already has $2,500 in donated funds earmarked to start the account.

Police Commander Scott King described the program as a way to formalize assistance officers already sometimes provide out of pocket. "This allows our community to have a stake in helping immediate assistance to those in need," King said, explaining officers will submit receipts and a short report for each use. He said BlueBridge supplies a tablet and transaction tracking to maintain transparency.

Council members asked detailed questions about use limits, data sharing, liability and contract language. King said the program is intended for modest, immediate expenses (a headlight or a tow, not large repairs). "We wouldn't be able to do a $2,500 fix. But if somebody needs a headlight or something within reason, a couple $100, we would be able to help with that," King said. He added officers will not transmit names or dates of birth to BlueBridge; the nonprofit receives only receipts and brief explanations of the purchase.

City Attorney Hillary reviewed the contract language and told council the MOA contains unusual terms. Council members raised one provision that allows BlueBridge to terminate the agreement and retain funds raised if the agency finds the city has operated outside BlueBridge standards; Hillary said she had rewritten parts of the document and flagged sections that are "not ideal." She also said many other agencies have signed similar contracts and that the city is unlikely to lose money under normal operation, but recommended revisiting the agreement later if BlueBridge develops more formal legal capacity.

Council Member Payne Donovan and Council Member Woodard asked for periodic reporting on program use and equity. King agreed to include a summary in the department's quarterly reports and said the tablet and receipts make that reporting feasible.

Mayor Pro Tem Wall moved to authorize the chief to sign the MOA; the council approved the motion by voice vote with no opposing votes. All seven members present voted in favor.

Staff will implement the program using the initial seed funds and report back to council on usage and equity metrics in regular department reports.