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Budget committee hears concerns as CAHOOTS/alternative‑response services change; staff to return with plan May 14
Summary
Committee members raised repeated concerns about alternative response services after notification that CAHOOTS/White Bird coverage has changed; city staff said they will present an emergency/alternative response update on May 14 and continue coordination with Lane County.
Budget Committee members pressed staff on the availability and continuity of alternative response services — commonly known in Eugene as CAHOOTS — after presentations and comments that White Bird/CAHOOTS had notified the city about changes in service availability.
Why it matters: Alternative response teams provide non‑police crisis intervention for behavioral health calls; their continuity affects police and fire workload, public safety outcomes, and system costs. Committee members warned that gaps in CAHOOTS‑style services can erode institutional capacity quickly and urged staff to pursue near‑term stabilization while exploring longer‑term options.
What staff said
City Manager Sarah Medary and other staff said the amended budget removed assumed alternative‑response savings once the city was notified that current providers (White Bird and others) were changing availability. Medary said the amended budget eliminates some of the previously included alternative‑response funding because of those notifications and because staff expected Lane County to ramp up mobile crisis services; after notification from providers, staff removed the funding from the amended forecast.
Chief of Police Chris Skinner explained the operational implications: police officers currently field many calls for service and in some incidents transport animals or coordinate sheltering; if an arrest includes an animal, officers attempt to locate family members or use community service officer resources. Skinner said, “In the event that we would have to shelter the animal, the officer would either transport or we have a community service officer that actually has cages available in the back of their trucks to be able to come to the scene and transport the animal.”
Committee reaction and next steps
Multiple committee members — including Councillors Keating, Kaczynski, and others — said they were “very concerned” about loss of CAHOOTS and urged staff to explore options to restore a CAHOOTS‑style provider (including lower‑hours or reconfigured contracts) while Lane County builds its 24/7 mobile crisis capability. The city manager and staff scheduled a focused presentation on the city’s emergency response redesign and alternative response options for May 14 and said they will supply follow‑up detail on service gaps, contract amounts, and potential procurement or partnership approaches.
Ending
Budget Committee members asked staff to prioritize clarity about gaps in alternative response, timelines for Lane County services, and administrative options to bridge service gaps while longer‑term solutions are developed. Staff agreed to return with a more detailed operational brief and options at the May 14 meeting.
