Duluth city councilors looked at a proposal that would’ve cut funding for a public safety initiative that deals in crisis response during their September 23 meeting.

The funding – $600,000 worth – goes to pay for the Mobile Crisis Response Team, which is run by the Human Development Center in Duluth. The team provides free emergency responses in crisis situations where law enforcement might not be required, or the best option to respond, such as nonviolent mental health episodes.

“I think the community likes knowing that if they ever need to call 988, if there’s ever a reason that they have to engage with these services, that there’s somebody there for them who’s trained and really highly effective.” Explained Duluth City Councilor Arik Forsman, who added that the service can also free up police for other calls.

The cut was made in Mayor Roger Reinert’s initial budget proposal, his first since taking office. With upcoming expenses for the city, as well as attempting to minimize the tax burden to residents, the mayor wanted to keep the budget lean. Initial funding for the program was only provided through 2024.

Despite this, several councilors were able to locate funds to pay for the crisis team for 2025, without raising taxes.

During the meeting, several Duluthians came to address the council – concerned citizens, business organizations, and even a few mental health professionals, all expressing support for renewed funding during the meeting. This included Naseem Farahid, a UMD graduate student who’s worked in mental health crisis intervention.

“The city or the administration is thinking that this is an easy solution budget cut to meet the promises of what the mayor made is just outrageous.”  Farahid told WDIO in an interview before the meeting, adding that he thought the proposal was at odds with the city’s history of providing mental health education.

After testimony from Farahrid and others, the Council voted unanimously 9-0 to fund the team for 2025. While funding beyond 2025 has not been established, several council members voiced support for looking into the matter for the next budget to ensure long term funding.

The city council will approve and vote on a final 2025 budget in December.