By Maggie Trovato
Baltimore Sun
BALTIMORE — Baltimore’s plan to send mental health clinicians and other nonpolice responders to thousands of 911 calls a year is drawing new warnings from fire unions and city lawmakers, who question whether the proposed system can be funded for the long haul without compromising emergency response.
The proposed Department of Neighborhood Safety would cost $16.8 million to launch, including $12.4 million for a new 911 dispatch system. But city finance officials warn that the plan’s reliance on opioid settlement money could leave Baltimore facing a funding cliff by 2032, while firefighters caution that calls initially reported as nonviolent can turn dangerous — putting first responders at risk if police are not sent.
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The existing system for routing behavioral-health calls from 911 to mental health professionals has sharply deteriorated, an earlier Baltimore Sun investigation found, leaving police officers to respond to people in crisis.
“If the police department is cut out entirely, that would be a significant issue,” said Josh Fannon, president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 964.
Fannon said he has raised concerns with the mayor’s office about firefighters responding to calls that are not initially reported as violent but later become dangerous. The administration has told him it plans to roll out the alternative response system carefully, beginning with dual dispatching rather than immediately removing police from some calls.
“It’s just something that’s got to stay front of mind for everybody involved to make sure that we don’t find ourselves creating a more unsafe scenario than we had in the past,” Fannon said. “We don’t want that to happen.”
A bill to create the Department of Neighborhood Safety was introduced in the Baltimore City Council in September and remains in committee. If approved, the department would absorb the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and expand the city’s ability to send clinicians, social workers and other trained non-law enforcement responders to eligible 911 calls. The city expects the department to be fully functioning by next fall.
The administration estimates that Baltimore’s emergency services receive about 22,000 calls a year involving nonviolent situations, including trespassing, welfare checks, public nuisance complaints and public intoxication.
Long-term funding uncertain
In an Oct. 8 report, Deputy Finance Director Bob Cenname warned that creating alternative response services could generate a “significant recurring operating cost,” though the full expense remains unknown.
“The ultimate fiscal impact will depend on the proposed staffing model, compensation and benefits, vehicles and equipment, dispatch infrastructure, training, administrative overhead, and the number and type of calls the Department is expected to handle,” the report says.
The mayor’s office said in an email that a preliminary staffing plan is being finalized.
Cenname also raised concerns about using the city’s Opioid Restitution Fund to sustain the services. The fund, which manages settlement awards from Baltimore’s opioid litigation, held just over $239 million at the end of fiscal 2026, with $41.3 million budgeted for programming in fiscal 2027.
“Based on this modeling, the Opioid Restitution Fund would be fully exhausted by Fiscal 2032, resulting in a large ‘cliff’ whereby programs would either need to end immediately or transition to another funding source,” Cenname said.
The mayor’s office said it expects the fund to support the department for the first four to five years and is working with the Finance Department and the Bureau of the Budget and Management Research to identify sustainable funding sources for the future.
“Before any funding is redirected from existing public safety agencies, the City must demonstrate where actual savings will occur and how those reductions will affect staffing, equipment, response capabilities, and public safety,” said Matthew Coster, president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 734.
Coster cited what he called “longstanding deficiencies” in the fire department, including staffing shortages, aging vehicles and “deteriorating firehouse conditions.” Those needs, he said, should be addressed before the city considers reducing fire department funding.
“Before moving forward, we need answers, transparency, and a realistic understanding of how this agency will operate in a city with Baltimore’s emergency response demands,” Coster said.
Fannon also questioned the timing of the investment, noting that Local 964 is in an arbitration dispute with the city over fiscal 2027 contracts.
“Them talking about millions of dollars for a new agency while that dispute is ongoing, it is a bit of a headscratcher,” he said.
In response to the funding concerns, the mayor’s office said no general fund dollars have been reallocated from other public safety departments to support the proposed department.
The office said the fire department’s budget for facility repairs, vehicle maintenance and staffing has increased significantly since 2024. It also cited progress in recruitment by both the fire and police departments, including 105 fire and EMS recruits hired in 2025.
“The Mayor is committed to building on this progress in the coming years,” the administration said.
Warning against rushing
City Councilman Mark Conway supports the idea of alternative response services but questions whether the administration has resolved enough of the financial and operational uncertainties to move ahead.
“This is something we’re going to have to fund into perpetuity,” he said, later adding, “I just don’t want to make the mistake of rushing into this and not having answered these questions before we’ve done so.”
Conway also questioned the timing of the proposed restructuring as MONSE faces scrutiny over its Side-Step program, which is the subject of an Inspector General’s Office investigation stemming from a report of privacy breaches and alleged fraud.
“Standing up an entire agency and doing so while muddling MONSE into it and not having a way to fund this into the future really concerns me,” he said.
Conway said the city’s experience with similar agencies elsewhere does not guarantee that the model will work in Baltimore.
Fannon said he is glad the city is pursuing the change through legislation, which allows for public discussion and input from a range of stakeholders.
“And I think when you’re collaborative, you have a greater chance of success,” he said.
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