Budget committee backs amended 2025–27 budget, directs study of Cahoots-style crisis response

The Eugene Budget Committee voted to recommend the city manager's amended 2025—27 biennial budget, including a stormwater-rate option that would collect an additional $4.7 million annually to restore services cut earlier in the process. The committee also voted to direct the city manager to investigate how an alternative crisis-response program "with Cahoots-like services" could be provided and to identify potential funding sources for approximately $2,200,000 a year, bringing recommendations back by October.

The committee's action followed a 90-minute public hearing in which 41 registered speakers urged restoration of services trimmed in initial budget drafts: community centers and childcare at the Sheldon Community Center, summer programming and Amazon Pool access, the Eugene Public Library's hours, animal sheltering through Greenhill Humane Society, and non-police crisis response modeled on Cahoots. Witnesses included Cahoots staff and cofounders who said the model de-escalates crises, saves money and is a critical part of community safety.

Councilor Zach Mulholland, who made the motion to flag several one-time-funded items for inclusion in the council's long-term financial-stability work, told the committee those items were "incredibly important to the community" and urged council to start identifying ongoing funding sooner rather than later. The motion to include those one-time items in the long-term work passed 11 to 3.

Councilor Matt Zelenka moved the study of a Cahoots-like alternative after repeated public testimony and presentations by former and current Cahoots…