Administration - Brian Podany, Safety Services Director/Chief of Police
Title
Title
Authorize Hiring of an Embedded Mental Health Professional
end
Background
With the adoption of the 2021 General Fund Budget, the City Council approved appropriating $12,500 for the shared services of an Embedded Mental Health Professional. Council renewed this appropriation in 2022. This position has proven to be extremely valuable and the individual currently providing the services under the contract has performed exceptionally well. Since 2018 the current Embedded Mental Health Professional has been a Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW) and currently is a Licensed Social Worker (LICSW) and can diagnose, treat, and complete patient assessments. This is the highest licensure in Minnesota, and they can complete both clinical and non-clinical social work without supervision.
As the position is shared between two agencies, the needs of the department go beyond the time allocated to Blaine and the department has submitted a 2023 budget proposal to convert the contractual services into a full-time position that would not be shared with the other agencies.
Opiod settlement funds have already begun to be dispersed in 2022 and the funds will be used to offset the cost of the proposed position. The current appropriated part time mental health professional position is coming to a close and the police department is interested in proposing an early start to this position in 2022 versus waiting for the 2023 budget approvals. This explanation will be covered in depth in the workshop presentation.
Police and Human Resources staff have developed a job description for this potential position and have determined that it would fall into the C-41 classification with a mid-point salary of $94,000. Including benefits, the total annual mid-point compensation for this position would be roughly $112,000. If approved, staff anticipates filling the position on September 1, 2022. Total 2022 costs to bring this position on board at that date would be roughly $40,000 including wages, benefits, and equipment.
Funding for this position would come from the City’s share of opioid settlement funds. As part of this settlement, Blaine will receive $943,000 over the next 17 years, including $106,000 to be distributed in 2022 - enough to fully fund the addition of the position in 2022. Future years’ distributions will range from $42,600 to $80,000 and help to offset the costs of the position.
Staff Recommendation
Authorize the hiring of an Embedded Mental Health Professional in 2022
Attachment List