In addition to choosing an accounting firm to conduct audits for the Knoxville Utilities Board, the Knoxville City Council will think about growing the city’s co-responder program.
Two funds will also be accepted by the council: one will help efforts to prevent drug offenses, and the other will support advocacy and prevention of substance usage.
Tuesday might see additional funding for a program that matches behavioral health specialists with Knoxville Police Department officers on calls that may include someone going through a mental health crisis.
At its meeting, the Knoxville City Council will discuss allocating $820,000 to the Helen Ross McNabb Center in order to expand its Co-Response Team program.
There are similar programs all around the United States, and national organizations have approved them as a means of strengthening care and promoting safety for individuals who may be dealing with mental health concerns or substance abuse.
According to the city, Knoxville’s program started taking calls in October 2020 and handled 3,784 calls until September 24, 2024. According to the city, the $820,000 award will allow the program to grow by adding more teams capable of stabilizing unstable circumstances and lowering the stigma associated with mental illness.
According to a resolution, the teams would also help expand the program’s coverage during peak hours and decrease the frequency of ambulance transports for mental health examinations.
An “Alternative Response Team” program, which would have teams of medical personnel and mental health specialists attend to calls involving individuals in crisis rather than police officers, has been advocated for in the past by groups like the Knoxville HEART organization. In June 2024, a task team was established to look into the viability of such a program.
According to Knoxville’s charter, KUB must hire a qualified accountant to conduct audits and provide reports as needed by the utility board. According to a suggestion, Mauldin and Jenkins, LLC would be selected as the accounting firm.
According to the city, the firm’s work would begin with audits in 2025.
After seven firms replied to a request for qualifications, the firm was selected. KUB claims that the company was founded in 1918 and currently operates 14 locations in six Southeast states.
Huntsville Utilities, Morristown, Bristol (TN) Essential Services, and the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga have all benefited from its auditing services.
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Grants could support officers’ overtime compensation and efforts to reduce substance usage.
Two grants could be awarded to Knoxville. In order to reduce overdose deaths and to assist advocacy and preventative efforts related to substance misuse, the first would offer up to $1.75 million without requiring a local match.
According to records, the funding would support a Drug Diversion Advocate job at KPD and would come from the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council.
Additionally, a resolution said that money will be utilized to assist KPD’s “efforts in the fight against the opioid epidemic.”
There will be another federal grant. It would be used to cover officer overtime from work investigating illicit drug activity with a “multi-jurisdictional law enforcement agency task force.” It may provide $115,500 without the need for local matching money.
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