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Council hears case to prioritize CHAT social‑worker expansion as alternative response
Summary
Fire department asked to add two social workers to the CHAT/medical alternative‑response team; proponents argued it would expand non‑police interventions near high‑need areas, while members urged consideration of budget timing and possible phased hiring.
The council considered a request from the fire department to expand its CHAT medical response team by adding two social workers. Staff said the package totals about $273,000 with roughly $1,000 identified as one‑time equipment and the remainder ongoing salary and benefits; if delayed to a half‑year the line can be reduced proportionally.
Councilmember Young emphasized placing the expanded CHAT team near West High School and described the approach as an alternative response model to divert certain calls away from traditional police response. "Chat does that in real time in terms of being able to help individuals where maybe having them engage related to an offense…can be mitigated by having the appropriate medical response team there," Young said. Members acknowledged the program’s value but raised concerns about adding ongoing FTEs in a tight year; several suggested delaying hiring or funding a half‑year as a compromise.
Council asked staff to return confirmed half‑year cost estimates and to rank CHAT among future FTE priorities. Council also discussed how funding could be drawn from multiple budget columns and the need to disclose any use of general‑fund vs public‑safety or property‑tax resources.
