City commission to consider using special alcohol funds for mental health co-responders

May 13—Manhattan city commissioners will consider a proposal at their next meeting to use special alcohol funding for mental health co-responders through the Riley County Police Department.

The city commission meeting is Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall.

On the commission's agenda for the meeting is an item that, if approved, would use special alcohol funds to pay for mental health co-responders at RCPD. The co-responders are mental health professionals trained through Pawnee and employed by RCPD, who respond to mental health crises alongside police officers.

Currently, property tax revenue fund those positions.

According to agenda documents, the intent of the proposal is to reduce the amount of property tax transfers to RCPD. Commissioners will decide whether to establish a contract with RCPD that funds co-responder services with special alcohol monies received via a state tax on the sale of alcoholic beverages.

For 2023, city officials budgeted $482,196 in special alcohol funds that were distributed among 16 local entities. The Manhattan-Ogden School District received the biggest chunk from that amount, $45,625. Pawnee Mental Health received the next-highest amount, at $19,609. A few other agencies that receive special alcohol funds include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Be Able, Sunflower CASA and The Wonder Workshop.

The commission agenda documents didn't include requests for the coming budget year, and they didn't propose amounts for potential cuts to those entities.

At the same time, Manhattan city and Riley County officials are disagreeing on how to handle the employment of animal control officers. City commissioners have proposed moving animal control officers from city employment to working for RCPD. County commissioners opposed that idea, as that board is not interested in having the county fund animal control positions that will largely only serve the city of Manhattan.

At a joint city/county meeting last month, city commissioner Linda Morse said the animal control topic "seems like a jurisdictional issue," and the city should consider drawing up a contract with Riley County Police.

RCPD assistant director Kurt Moldrup told city and county commissioners that the contract could be similar to RCPD's contract with Pawnee for mental health responders.

City officials have the authority to create more guidelines and procedures for using special alcohol funds. Earlier this year, city commissioners voted to dissolve the Special Alcohol Fund Advisory Committee, which established an application process and guidelines for how special alcohol funds are to be used. City commissioners also dissolved the Social Services Advisory Board and formed the Community Services Funding Advisory Board in place of both.

The new advisory board has its first meeting next month, when members will decide if they want to adopt a new process for awarding special alcohol funds.

In other business, Mayor Mark Hatesohl is expected to nominate a new mayor pro tempore. Former mayor pro tempore, Usha Reddi, resigned from her Manhattan City Commission seat last week. The Riley County Democrats in January elected Reddi to replace former state Sen. Tom Hawk and finish out his term, which ends after the 2024 election.

Reddi was first elected to the city commission in April 2013. She served as mayor from 2016 to 2017.

Additionally, city commissioners Tuesday will hear a request from Manhattan Area Technical College the first installment of $200,000 toward a new Advanced Technology Center. MATC is asking the city government for $1 million total for the project, which is anticipated to be finished by June 2024.

City commissioners will consider a proposal to fund the new building in five installments of $200,000, spread over the next few years. The money for this request would come from the city's economic development sales tax fund.

The total construction cost of the Advanced Technology Center is $16.3 million. MATC officials already have secured $5 million for the project from state grants and donations.

___

(c)2023 The Manhattan Mercury, Kan.

Visit The Manhattan Mercury, Kan. at www.themercury.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.