Alexis Moyer (Credit: Lansdale Police)
Borough budget talks could include bringing position in-house
As budget season begins in Lansdale, borough council is considering funding the town’s mental health co-responder program through the end of the current year with decisions to make about 2026 and beyond.
“Our agenda tonight had two contracts on there: one to fund the rest of 2025, and the second to go into 2026,” said public safety committee chairwoman Meg Currie Teoh at a committee meeting last week.
In 2023 the Lansdale Police Department secured grant funding to establish a co-responder program stemming from talks that began with the onset of COVID-19 in 2020. Police and borough council built closer ties with neighboring departments and local nonprofits and agencies, to help respond to homelessness and mental health issues. In 2022, police Chief Mike Trail reported on the “North Penn HUB,” a collaborative of local police departments and agencies that works to solve problems they all encounter. As a result, council approved a co-responder program, structured as a year-to-year contract with local provider Merakey to offer “behavioral health intervention, de-escalation resources, and referrals to ongoing care” while responding to calls alongside police as needed.
That co-responder officially started in September 2023 and has since given several reports to council and the public on the types of cases she has encountered, earning attention and awards from the department and beyond.
According to Trail, the prior contract with Merakey would run for a full year, from July 2025 to July 2026, but council pushed back on that timeline this summer and asked if the contract could be synchronized with the town’s calendar year budget cycle.
“The ask was two things: you asked us to go back to Merakey and give us a contract that goes to the end of this year, and also can we get a contract that runs for calendar year to calendar year in line with our budget process,” Trail said.
That request led to two items up for discussion by the public safety committee last week: one contract extension continuing the program through the end of 2025, and a second that would cover the first six months of 2026, in line with Merakey’s internal budget timeline.
“The problem with that is, it’s going to become a budget item. That goes into 2026, and we haven’t set a budget for 2026 yet,” Trail said.
Trail said his staff have secured figures from Merakey estimating a roughly $110,000 annual cost to run the co-responder program full-time per year, and a roughly $106,000 estimated cost for the same work and hours by an in-house borough employee.
“It would be cheaper to hire the co-responder in 2026 as a full-time borough employee — that’s all-in, that’s benefits, and payroll taxes, base salary — than it would be to continue with Merakey,” he said.
Mayor Garry Herbert said in his private sector experience, he has typically seen hourly rates be higher than long-term contract costs for specialized work, and said the reports from the co-responder so far have shown the need.
“We have the need for this, and I think the $106,000 is a worthy endeavor, to continue the good work that’s going on through this program. And I suspect this group feels the same. I think this is a must,” he said.
Councilman Andrew Carroll asked if police knew whether the co-responder would see any increase in take-home pay, and Trail said that could depend on what benefits and other expenses are needed. Councilman Mike Yetter asked if any continuing education or training would be needed, and Support Services Director Christine Schreiner said none.
The chief’s imminent departure in November could complicate the discussions, Trail added: his salary from 2025 could be shifted in the town’s 2026 budget with a new hire at a lower salary level, go toward promotions for other current officers, be allocated to the co-responder, or a combination.
“We could have, potentially, three retirements. Replacing one of them, or two, we still have room to spare for this,” Teoh said, and Trail answered, “It’s well within the numbers.”
Carroll asked if there were any logistical or behind-the-scenes issues that could prevent bringing the co-responder position in-house by the start of 2026, and Trail and Schreiner said they would give the committee data on the salary figures before any final decision. All prior grant funding for the co-responder program has been spent, the chief added, and no other similar grants have been identified, “but we’re always looking,” Trail said.
The public safety committee voted unanimously to advance the contract extending the program through the end of the year for a vote by full council later this month, and said talks on 2026 and beyond would continue this fall.
“We’re still looking at numbers for next year’s budget, but we did move forward the contract for the rest of 2025. The rest is in discussion,” Teoh said.
Lansdale’s borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on Sept. 17 and the public safety committee next meets at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 1, both at the borough municipal building, 1 Vine Street. For more information visit www.Lansdale.org.
