Speakers urge council to cancel underfunded RFP and restore Cahoots-style crisis response

Several public commenters on Feb. 23 pressed the council to restore a Cahoots-style alternative crisis response and to revise or cancel a current RFP they said is underfunded.

Greta Davis and members of her Girl Scout troop called for a return of Cahoots-like mobile crisis medics that would answer 911 calls, reach camps and have sufficient vehicles and staff. Jacob True (Ward 1) cited the published RFP budget of $375,000 and said that amount is insufficient for a year-round pilot and that expanding shift coverage to 10–12 hours per day would approach or exceed $1,000,000. Robert Parish, who described himself as a 20-plus-year community responder, recommended canceling and reissuing the RFP because it asks for 12 hours per day plus two directors without adequate funding, duplicates existing peer support services and fails to match the city's own gaps analysis.

Speakers urged the council to fund a sustained alternative response that includes mid-acuity behavioral health, wound care follow-up and youth crisis services. No formal council vote was taken on the RFP during the meeting; commenters asked staff and councilors to revise procurement documents to reflect realistic service costs and coverage.