The Rapid City Legal & Finance Committee heard a presentation Dec. 31 from Stephanie Core of JourneyOn and voted to approve contingency funding for a pilot that would place two part‑time hybrid street‑outreach and safe‑passages staff to increase safety at Wilson Park and escort students to Wilson Elementary.

Core said JourneyOn would combine its street‑outreach work with existing school safe‑passage efforts and requested approximately $46,000 (the agenda listed a $40,000 request) to pay for two part‑time staff, payroll taxes, benefits, background checks and visible uniforms; she also asked for a city vehicle to support outreach. “So, as you may or may not know, JourneyOn...we thought, I think we have a solution for that,” Core said, describing daily outreach work and school support.

Dr. Tamey, referencing field data gathered by park rangers and partner agencies, said park rangers patrolled the Wilson Park area 1,047 times and “they encountered chronic inebriation over 10 percent of the time,” noting mobile medics and the quality‑of‑life unit reported similar observations.

Council members discussed funding logistics and longer‑term sustainability. Finance Director Daniel Ainsley reviewed contingency history, saying the council has increased contingency line items in recent years and that the 2026 contingency was set at $500,000; he advised the committee there is discretionary funding available for pilot programs. Several council members described the proposal as a pilot and emphasized evaluating data before committing to ongoing funding.

Some members expressed concern about relying on council contingency for recurring expenses; one councilmember said the contingency had been used sparingly in the past and cautioned against funding “pet projects.” Others noted partnership opportunities with schools, police grants and retailer cooperation (Loaf and Jug has already changed alcohol sale policies) could offset longer‑term costs.

After discussion the committee approved the pilot and directed staff to monitor results and report back so the council can decide whether to integrate the program into recurring budgets or seek other funding sources.

The committee framed the award as a time‑limited pilot: staff recommended measuring effects on park incidents and school arrival safety and returning findings to the council for a future budget decision.