RESOLUTION NO.
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COTATI AUTHORIZING
THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO AND EXECUTE A REVISED
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) WITH PETALUMA PEOPLE
SERVICES CENTER, SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY, AND THE CITY OF ROHNERT
PARK TO OPERATE AND MANAGE AN ALTERNATIVE CRISIS RESPONSE
PROGRAM KNOWN AS THE ROHNERT PARK-COTATI SPECIALIZED
ASSISTANCE FOR EVERYONE (SAFE) TEAM
WHEREAS, each year approximately 5% of all calls for service (Rohnert Park, Cotati, and Sonoma State University) are crisis calls involving homelessness, mental illness, or substance abuse which could be diverted to an alternative response team; and WHEREAS, alternative care providers are trained, suited, and equipped to deliver more cost effective and appropriate services related to mental health, substance abuse, and shelter and housing services to individuals in need, in lieu of police response to such calls for assistance; and WHEREAS, in November 2021, in accordance with a three-party Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Petaluma People Services Center (PPSC), a California non-profit public benefit corporation, implemented a pilot program with the City of Cotati and City of Rohnert Park to provide mobile mental health crisis services; and
WHEREAS, the City of Cotati (City) in partnership with the City of Rohnert Park share the benefits of the services of the new crisis response team, Specialized Assistance For Everyone (SAFE), and share the costs of the program based on a cost share that is fair and reasonable, initially based on the respective number of anticipated calls for service to be responded to within each community and eventually phased into a 2 year rolling average of actual calls for service; and WHEREAS, following the implementation of the SAFE Team in Cotati-Rohnert Park, the City led discussions with Sonoma State University (SSU) to expand the program to the SSU campus; and
WHEREAS, the action of entering into an MOU does not constitute a project as defined by California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378; therefore, no further environmental review is required.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Cotati that it does hereby authorize the City Manager, to execute the revised MOU to include Sonoma State University in the joint mobile crisis response program with Petaluma People Services Center, City of Cotati and City of Rohnert Park, in substantially similar form as Exhibit A, subject to such revisions as may be approved by the City Attorney.
IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED that the foregoing resolution was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Cotati held on the October 25th, 2022, by the following vote, to wit:
Approved:________________________________
Mayor
Attest:____________________________
Kevin Patterson, Deputy City Clerk
Approved as to form:
____________________________
City Attorney
Attachments:
Exhibit A: SAFE Team Revised MOU (PDF)