Proposed Charter Amendment No. 2 - Community Crisis Response Services

This proposed amendment establishes a community crisis response system in the city designed to respond to emergency and non-emergency calls for service that require a different approach from the traditional police- or fire-only dispatch. This includes the creation of an internal office, division, or department that would manage these services, in collaboration and coordination with relevant community partners, crisis hotlines, and city, county, state, and federal agencies, and mandating unarmed response services be made available for appropriate calls for service. The amendment would also establish an advisory board to oversee and make recommendations in this effort and requires that the board meet at least quarterly. The amendment mandates funding for community crisis response operations in an amount sufficient to pay for the personnel, services and other resources needed for the planning, implementation, and sustainability of community crisis response. Funding could be reduced only proportionate to overall decreases in city budget and with public justification. The amendment would also require the City to conduct proactive engagement with residents to keep them apprised of operations. Shall the proposed charter amendment be adopted?