Ojai council authorizes 90-day extension while negotiating county behavioral-health contract

The Ojai City Council voted unanimously to authorize a prorated 90-day extension of the city's agreement with Ventura County Behavioral Health to continue funding a dedicated case manager who serves Ojai and the city's OTT site.

City staff asked council to renew the agreement to maintain a locally embedded case manager, noting the funding is split roughly half from the general fund/OTT account and half from an ERF grant, for a total of about $178,000 included in the recently adopted budget. "We're coming before you asking you to consider, the renewal of the agreement with Ventura County Behavioral Health for a dedicated case manager," staff said.

The police chief told council he has seen the position reduce repeated crisis responses and described regular coordination with the case manager, saying, "For my professional opinion, this position is invaluable." Staff reported 919 recorded services to 81 individuals in the past year but did not provide a geographic breakdown of recipients.

Several council members pressed staff on whether the county is already obligated to provide day-to-day case management and questioned whether the city should pay administrative overhead for county services. Councilmember Whitman framed the city's role as securing faster local response, saying he was "interested in the idea that we're gonna pay April's salary, but I want her to give us all of her time." Staff and legal counsel said direct hiring by the city is not feasible because supervision and clinical oversight would remain a county responsibility under the current service model.

To avoid a lapse in services while negotiations continue, councilmember Whitman moved to authorize a shorter-term amendment for up to 90 days at a prorated amount, direct staff to negotiate changes with the county, and return with an updated contract from the city attorney's office. The motion was seconded and passed on a roll call vote: Mayor Gilman, Mayor Pro Tem, Councilmembers Ruhl, Lang and Whitman all voted yes.

Council and staff agreed to press the county for greater contribution and to use the short extension as a leverage point for clearer contract language that distinguishes immediate-response duties the city is paying for from routine county case-management obligations. Staff said either party may terminate the agreement on 30 days' notice, and council directed staff to report back to the council after the negotiation period.