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Administration seeks council funding for community responder program; proposes staged build and 911 integration work
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Summary
The city manager’s office requested $416,500 as an over‑target appropriation to launch "Roots," a city‑operated community responder program intended to provide unarmed outreach, handoffs from police, and eventual dispatch integration for select nonviolent calls.
The administration presented an over‑target request to fund a new community responder program—branded "Roots"—that would provide unarmed responses and community outreach complementary to existing programs.
Dominic, the deputy city manager leading the proposal, told council the program’s estimated annual cost is about $790,000–$795,000 and that the administration is requesting $416,500 this year as an over‑target request. That smaller first‑year request relies partly on previously encumbered city funds; the administration estimated a second‑year program cost of roughly $585,000 as the program ramps up.
Dominic outlined three operational scenarios the administration anticipates for Roots: proactive outreach and community beats by responders; scene handoffs from police when incidents are nonviolent and better suited for a community responder; and, in time, direct dispatch from the 911 center for clearly delineated call types after policy and dispatch protocols are developed.
Responding to questions about the interaction with existing programs and duplication risk, the administration said Roots is intended to add capacity and provide a consistent, city‑operated unarmed response that complements (but is distinct from) existing initiatives such as the LEAD program, downtown outreach workers, and contracted peer‑response efforts. Mona Lisa Smiley of the Community Justice Center (CJC), present at the meeting, emphasized that CJC’s mission is not a responder service and described the center’s current focus on community engagement, data and navigation hubs.
On timeline, Dominic said the administration would aim for aggressive development but realistically expects several months of policy work, civil‑service job descriptions and stakeholder engagement; first postings for Roots positions could appear by the end of the first quarter 2026 with hires and operational rollout afterward.
Council members asked whether direct 911 dispatch to Roots was feasible. Administration officials said dispatch integration is possible but requires careful call-delineation rules and a clear policy framework; the 911 center and police would need to participate in protocol development before direct dispatch could be routine.
Fiscal context: the administration framed Roots as a multi‑year program that could scale if metrics show success; staff said they would return to council with program metrics, contract details where relevant, and recommended implementation phases.
Context and next steps: If council funds Roots, the administration will develop job descriptions, civil‑service filings where required, dispatch protocols in partnership with 911 and IPD, and outcome metrics to report back to council before expanding the program beyond the initial team.
