A plan to curb gun violence in Columbia is taking shape, but tension grows over budget, way forward
Columbia leaders likely will move forward with some iteration of a program meant to reduce gun violence in the city. But what form that program takes has stirred conflict on the City Council, where members disagree on how much to spend, how many people to hire and where to direct the program’s efforts.
A council meeting Tuesday devolved into near shouting after several council members asked for additional information on the program.
“I’d rather you vote right now and say, ‘You know what, I don’t support it. I’d rather continue to allow people to get shot in our communities than put money into this program,’” Mayor Daniel Rickenmann, who had led the charge on the new effort, said at one point after hearing questions from others on council.
Rickenmann has pitched spending just under $803,000 of federal pandemic dollars on a new office of gun violence prevention that he hopes will cut shootings in half over the next three years.
He has described the would-be office as a “quarterback” for city crime reduction resources, with expectations that it would coordinate city and community violence prevention efforts.
Under Rickenmann’s plan, the office would have its own director and support staff and would tap existing community leaders as “violence interrupters” to help mediate street-level conflicts.
It would also have staff dedicated to connecting people with various city resources. Those employees would be trained social workers and each would oversee 25 individuals in need of local resources. In total, the program is estimated to cost $802,800 over three years, which the mayor hopes to pay for with federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The office would be active starting in 2023.
Lingering questions
All but one council member had at least some reason for pause when presented with the proposal again Tuesday. Councilman Will Brennan asked to put the plan on the next meeting agenda so the council could take formal action.
But everyone else on the council had questions they wanted answered before that vote takes place.
At-large Councilman Howard Duvall asked how closely the mayor’s program mimics a similar violence prevention program in the city run by the organization Serve & Connect. Duvall shared concerns that the city was duplicating existing efforts.
Serve & Connect, a local nonprofit dedicated to improving relationships between the public and law enforcement, received a federal grant in 2021 for roughly $965,000 for gun violence prevention efforts specifically in the 29203 zip code. While some aspects of Serve & Connect’s work are similar to Rickenmann’s proposal, both Rickenmann and the nonprofit have said the programs are not identical.
Rickenmann on Tuesday stressed that the city office would be an overarching resource, rather than focused on a single zip code.
“We are optimistic to hear of the Mayor’s proposal to establish an Office of Gun Violence Prevention. This type of leadership will help support the sustainability of efforts such as the activities funded by our federal grant,” reads a press release from Serve & Connect, issued after Rickenmann first announced details for the office. “Addressing gun violence requires a comprehensive strategy that engages many partners. No one can do this work alone.”
District 4 Councilman Joe Taylor said he supports the effort but said the city’s priority should be fully staffing its police department. He added that there are concerns that people who commit gun crimes aren’t prosecuted and instead are released back into the community without consequence.
“I’m just not so sure today that there is a fear in our community of being punished for doing something bad. … We’ve got to address that either as part of this, a major part of this, or it has got to stay out in front,” Taylor said.
District 2 Councilman Ed McDowell and District 1 Councilwoman Tina Herbert, whose districts are most impacted by gun violence in Columbia, also shared reservations. Both said they support the idea but had questions they wanted answered before moving ahead.
“It seems to me there needs to be some digging in deep. … This is the first time we’ve seen this in printed form and spelling out the program,” McDowell said, adding that he agrees with the intention of the program.
Next steps
Herbert asked for a meeting between herself, McDowell and Rickenmann to discuss the program given that it would impact their districts the most.
“The concept, I am very supportive of,” Herbert said. “I think the dollar tag is a lot. I don’t know if we need to start off with three people for three years.”
She suggested moving forward with hiring a director who would more specifically build out the office. She added that spending the bulk of the money on salaries was also concerning to her.
At-large Councilwoman Aditi Bussells also asked for a meeting. Bussells, who is a public health researcher, asked to discuss more specifically who should be hired to run the office.
Rickenmann said he welcomed having another meeting but stressed that he felt there had been enough discussion about the idea and wanted to move forward quickly. He added that the program’s budget is similar to or less than what other cities have started with when establishing their own programs.
The $803,000 price tag would be paid from the roughly $27 million the city received from federal ARPA dollars.
Council members are expected to meet next week to discuss the specifics of the office and plan to vote on moving some version of the plan forward by Nov. 1.
