Sponsor: Social Services
Title
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Joint Powers Agreement with the City of Maplewood for the Mental Health Outreach Team
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Recommendation
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1. Approve the joint powers agreement with the city of Maplewood to govern data sharing in the operation and evaluation of the Mental Health Outreach Team to be effective on date of final execution through May 3, 2027.
2. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the Joint Powers Agreement.
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Background and Rationale
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In the fall of 2018, the Maplewood Public Safety Department created a Mental Health Outreach Team (MHOT). The purpose of this team is to provide a proactive approach committed to assisting residents in crisis while helping individuals and their families navigate the healthcare system.
Ramsey County Social Services and MHOT proposed a pilot program that embedded two mental health professional/practitioners (MHP)s within MHOT. At that time, 1 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) position in the Mental Health Professional or Mental Health Practitioner classification was paid for by Ramsey County and the other by the City of Maplewood. These positions provide short-term support to connect to residents in need of mental health support and specialty services. In 2021, the Maplewood Police Department responded to 1,167 emergency calls where mental health was the primary issue. Officers responded to 502 calls for a person in crisis and 39 calls for suicides in progress.
In 2025, the Maplewood Police Department responded to 13,611 9-1-1 calls, accounting for 33,964 total incidents. Among these, 502 calls involved individuals in crisis, and 35 were calls for suicides in progress. Completed suicides are categorized as death investigations and are not included in these figures. Officers also handled 956 calls primarily driven by mental health concerns, reflecting the ongoing prevalence of mental health issues in the community.
During 2025, the MHP not only conducted follow-up on all calls involving mental illness, but also followed up with victims of domestic violence, families who experienced a suicide or violent loss, and community members in need of additional assistance, including stable housing, food, utilities, and other basic needs. The MHP connected with community members on 1,579 incidents. In addition to the initial incident, the MHP provides ongoing short-term follow-up, helping ensure community members did not fall through the cracks of often confusing and siloed systems. The MHP also can refer through peer-to-peer outreach with Community Responders in the Appropriate Responses Initiative (ARI). This communication further desiloes work that is done both in the mental health division and ARI.
MHOT was created based on data analysis that revealed the high number of mental health-related incidents the Maplewood police and fire departments respond to annually. In Ramsey County, Maplewood receives the second largest number of calls to police for mental health responses after Saint Paul. MHOT includes five representatives from the Police Department and three representatives from the Fire Department. They have established program objectives, inclusion criteria, administrative/legal procedures, potential partnerships, referral and reporting mechanisms and training opportunities.
The goals of the pilot program are:
• Reduce the amount of public safety resources needed to mitigate mental health and crisis-related incidents.
• Reduce the use of force and the number of adverse events.
The city of Maplewood and Ramsey County staff need to continue to share data to support individual and community health and wellness. The program exceeded initial expectations, and further benefits are being assessed. Data sharing is governed by the Joint Powers Agreement between the two government entities.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☐ Prosperity ☐ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
Racially and ethnically diverse communities are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Improving police responses to people with mental illness and creating opportunities for community-based treatment, including culturally specific options, will reduce the number of racially and ethnically diverse residents who are incarcerated when mental health treatment would be the appropriate response. The Ramsey County Crisis and Stabilization Units are committed to supporting the mental health wellness of residents through services and referrals for longer-term care.
Community Participation Level and Impact
The model was created in response to the community's request for increased mental health services and reduced negative consequences, specifically, fewer arrests during crises and fewer 911 calls for mental health- related interventions. The project enables a Ramsey County mental health worker, in collaboration with the Maplewood police, fire departments, and the ARI Community Responders to engage residents. Specific community participation activities include educating the community about the model through targeted community engagement activities, conducting focused conversations and listening sessions with community members most impacted by the co- responder model, and developing recommendations for shaping community-defined mental health services and indicators of wellbeing. The MHOT should result in an increased level of trust of police and county systems and a sense of wellness in the community.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
The 1 FTE Mental Health Professional position will be funded by both the city of Maplewood at 75% and Ramsey County 25%. This funding is accounted for in the Social Services Department 2026-2027 approved budget and is currently within the Social Services complement.
Last Previous Action
On May 3, 2022, the Ramsey County Board approved the previous Amended Joint Powers Agreement with the City of Maplewood to govern data sharing in the operation and evaluation of the for Co-responder Pilot Program (Resolution B2022-113).
Attachments
1. Joint Powers Agreement