Board reallocates $3 million set for CrisisNow; $2 million to close budget gap, $1 million to pilot receiving‑center options

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on April 29 to reassign $3 million that had been set aside for the CrisisNow behavioral‑health receiving‑center project. The board approved staff’s recommendation to direct $2 million of that amount toward the county’s immediate budget gap and to reserve $1 million to evaluate and pursue scaled alternatives to the originally planned three‑year pilot receiving center.

At an item described in staff materials as “board‑directed projects,” County staff led by Alex Tengelwalks (CAO’s office) and Tony Kildare (interim mental‑health director) presented three alternatives for the receiving‑center element of CrisisNow. The county originally planned a three‑year, $3 million pilot that would create a local place for people in behavioral health crisis to go after mobile‑response teams and the crisis hotline. Staff told the board that rising costs, the loss of a federal earmark, and other budget liabilities meant the county could not fully fund the original plan.

Staff proposed three options: keep the original plan (not recommended because of cost); explore a scaled, one‑year pilot in Woodland by partnering with a local contractor (estimated implementation 6 months to a year); or contract with one or two existing, operating facilities in Sacramento (staff said this would likely be faster to implement but would require transportation solutions for Yolo residents). Staff recommended pursuing options 2 and 3 in parallel, while acknowledging neither is guaranteed and each carries tradeoffs.

Board members pressed staff on implementation timing and coverage. Supervisor Allen said a long‑unused receiving‑center model in Yolo County had been “highly underutilized” and urged caution about choosing a Sacramento‑based option as the only solution. Several supervisors — including Barajas, Villegas and Farix — emphasized the value of having at least a scaled presence in Yolo County, particularly for after‑hours coverage and to reduce transports to distant facilities. Tony Kildare said the county intends to address embedded co‑responder staffing across the county regardless of which receiving‑center option is pursued.

The board approved staff’s motion — moved by Supervisor Barajas and seconded by Supervisor Fredericks — to reallocate the funds as described, and asked staff to continue short‑term exploration of the two scaled options. The vote was recorded as unanimous.

Staff and board members said any subsequent contract awards would return to the board for approval. The reallocation follows the board’s broader budget‑gap discussion at the same meeting; staff said the $2 million directed to the budget gap would help the county reach a balanced budget for the June 10 hearing.