Petaluma asks county for Measure O funds to bolster mental health, homelessness services

As Sonoma County supervisors prepare to mete out new sales tax revenue approved by voters for mental health and homelessness services, leaders in the county’s second-largest city are looking to tap into the new funding source.

In Petaluma, city staff have prepared a slate of spending priorities, including a new crisis response team, as well as additional funding for homelessness services and support. Officials say an additional funding stream generated by Measure O, a quarter-cent countywide sales tax, could enhance those efforts.

But local leaders are still homing in on how much of that new revenue will be made available to cities working to bolster their own mental health and homelessness services efforts.

“The debate right now is what percentage is going to existing programs versus what is going to be new augmented funding for new programs,” Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt said last week.

Passed with 68.1% of the vote, Measure O is projected to raise at least $250 million over the next 10 years. County leaders outlined a general spending plan during their pitch to voters last fall, laying out five funding categories: $5.5 million for behavioral health facilities, $11 million for emergency psychiatric and crisis services, $4.5 million reserved for outpatient services, $3.5 million for homeless health services and $500,000 for supportive housing.

As part of an ad-hoc committee tasked with recommending specific spending priorities, Supervisors James Gore and Chris Coursey have spent the last four months auditing existing county services and funding needs to better understand how much they can pour into new programs, Gore said.

“What I’m hearing from cities is they’re not asking for money, they’re asking for collaborative programs,” Gore said. “They don’t want to take money and take on more responsibility. What I’m hearing from cities is ‘When will the county reach out to us and tell us where this community fund is going?’”

Supervisors will host their first detailed discussions of the spending priorities for the money in late April, he said, ahead of a concrete expenditure plan that will be adopted during June budget talks. The tax took effect April 1, and county officials anticipate it will generate $6 million in new revenue by June 30.

While county leaders continue to work through budgets, Gore said he anticipates 40% to 60% of the new revenue will go toward existing mental health and homelessness services, leaving the rest for newer initiatives.

Petaluma City Manager Peggy Flynn said last week that she’s looking to the county for access to these funds, but as of yet, has received little information about what may be made available for Petaluma programs.

“We are hopeful that the use of Measure O revenue aligns with the voters’ intent,” Flynn said via text message. “There are many initiatives that are being led by our city and other jurisdictions that directly reflect that intent – to care for our most vulnerable community members…”

High on the city’s wish list is its nascent community policing team, designed to reduce armed officer responses.

The team, comprised of a crisis counselor and an EMT trained in de-escalation and social work interventions, would respond primarily to calls associated with mental health crises. Officials say they will launch the first teams by July 1, and the annual cost is expected to reach $1 million.

The program mirrors similar efforts in Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park, all modeled after the Eugene, Oregon, initiative that was developed three decades ago - before nationwide protests put a spotlight on use of force in law enforcement.

Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Rogers said city officials there have not yet discussed tapping Measure O funds for its program, but he said such a use could be in the cards.

“Maybe that would be an eligible use down the road,” he said, “but for now, at least, we are looking for the funding elsewhere.”

Flynn said Petaluma’s program would still move forward without Measure O funds, but she pointed to a range of other mental health and homelessness services that are in need of support, along with reliable revenue streams to ensure newer initiatives can get off the ground.

Gore said the new tax measure is a critical opportunity to increase participation across municipalities and break the silos in mental health and homelessness services care.

"Everybody is talking about enhanced programming,“ Gore said. ”But programming without space, like beds or facilities, doesn’t achieve anything with these issues. Our goal is to bring as much as we can to the community, not just county facilities. I want everyone to get a win out of this."

Councilmember Kevin McDonnell sits on the county’s Continuum of Care board, responsible for oversight of funds, planning and policies for addressing homelessness.

He said while the city has been able to pour additional money into support programs after passing its citywide sales tax measure last year, the upcoming year’s $13 million in added revenue is largely spoken for, going toward staffing increases and infrastructure fixes.

“It’s not enough; the needs are so big,” McDonnell said Friday. “We put some money into homelessness and mental health, yes, but it’s nowhere near how much we need.”

McDonnell said he’s waiting to hear a long-term strategy over how the county decides to divvy up Measure O funds, underlining the importance of a unified approach that doesn’t stop at city borders.

“Petaluma has had a need for more mental health support from the county, as do other cities in the county,” McDonnell said. “We don’t do much in the way of mental health right now. Even the (community policing program) is just first response. We need enduring support across the county, otherwise we’re on a treadmill with this.”

Argus-Courier editor Tyler Silvy contributed to this report.

(Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com, on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.)