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Council hears staff flowchart on public‑safety referrals; staff to return with scenarios and attorney clarifications
Summary
Staff presented a referral flowchart for the task force to reimagine public safety; council debated creating a community assistance office, staff capacity for 24/7 response, and agreed to submit scenarios to staff for follow‑up and a further work session with county DHHS.
City staff presented a high‑level flowchart showing how residents’ requests pass among city departments, county Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), police and nonprofit partners. Devin McNally (HCD) explained that the city’s role is largely referral and case triage—direct services and federal program administration sit with the county—and described current staffing (HCD mainline, community engagement specialist, senior housing specialist) and target response goals.
Council members pressed staff on whether the city should create a separate community assistance office (a recommendation from the task force) and whether HCD has capacity or requires additional FTEs. Staff and the city manager said a year‑round, 24/7 on‑call staffing model would carry additional costs and bargaining/union implications; staff suggested a pragmatic alternative: codify clear off‑hours points of contact and strengthen referrals to the county crisis center.
Council asked staff to collect concrete scenarios (e.g., weekend building power outage, eviction day, immediate safety concerns) by the following Monday so staff can test the flowchart and prepare a follow‑up work session that may include DHHS representatives. Councilors also discussed funding nonprofit partners and whether to keep certain task force recommendations open or close them as 'addressed by external entities.'
