Saint Paul City Attorney Lindsay Olsen presented the city attorney’s proposed 2026 budget to the Finance and Budget Committee, saying the office will face staff reductions as ARP-funded positions end and that some successful programs are being given formal budget lines.

Olsen said the combined City Attorney Office (CAO) and Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) 2025 budget is about $20.1 million, roughly $14 million of which is CAO; the office took a $300,000 reduction this year and added a formal operating line for the ETHOS restorative-justice program.

The ETHOS line item followed a $100,000 allocation received last year and a proposed ongoing operating amount of $70,000, Olsen said. On program outcomes she noted a referral increase of roughly 60% from 2023 to 2024 and said the program enrolled 202 participants in 2024. “Ethos is a program for is a restorative justice program that's an alternative to traditional prosecution,” Olsen said, describing ETHOS as a diversionary track handled within the city attorney’s criminal division.

Why it matters: Olsen and ONS leaders told council members the end of ARPA funding for several positions will reduce the office’s capacity to manage caseloads, maintain diversion programs and sustain community interventions that city leaders credit with reducing gun-related harm.

The budget presentation reviewed a criminal backlog project funded by ARPA that, according to the materials, helped reduce cases categorized as backlog from more than 3,100 to about 250. Olsen identified those ARP-funded roles as a mix of attorneys and staff; she said there are 6.5 ARP-funded attorneys and staff currently and that several of those positions will end as the ARP funding expires. She added the office is “struggling with large caseloads,” saying prosecutors routinely carry caseloads above the American Bar Association’s recommended level of about 400 cases and that many prosecutors now carry “anywhere between, you know, like, anywhere between, 5 to 600 cases.”

ONS programs and outcomes: Brooke Lucky, identified in the presentation as ONS director, and Director Blakey described Project Peace, the city’s gun-violence-intervention (GBI/CVI) hybrid program, and familiar-faces outreach for unsheltered residents. ONS reported a 33% reduction in gunshot victims and a substantial fall in gun homicides compared with prior years, saying the program served both juveniles and adults (about a 50/50 split) and that the average age of victims is about 25. Project Peace implemented a case-management platform (Apricot) and onboarded life coaches to provide wraparound services.

ONS leaders shared client success stories and described prevention-focused campaigns such as “Goals Not Guns” conducted with youth-serving partners. ONS said some youth cohorts that participated represented multiple wards but noted the rec centers where cohorts formed were concentrated in the city’s Ward 1; staff said recruitment is ongoing in other wards and encouraged council members to help with outreach.

Data practices centralization: Olsen said the recommended 2026 budget creates a centralized data practices group housed in the city attorney’s office with one supervising attorney and two data-practice specialists. She described the change as a mayor’s-office priority intended to move data-practices work from a decentralized, department-by-department model to a centralized team with the training and daily focus other cities maintain. The presentation noted OTC already dedicates a staff member to data-practices work and that the centralization effort will build workflows with the city clerk, council director and mayor’s office.

Staffing and funding risks: Council members pressed CAO and ONS staff about timelines and impacts if grant and ARP funds are not replaced. Olsen and ONS leaders said the end of ARP and reductions in federal grant opportunities will create gaps; ONS flagged a $154,000 reduction to subcontractor funding in 2026 and said life coaches and outreach staff carry caseloads that are substantially higher than optimal (life coaches “have about 25 to 30 individuals” each). Olsen and Blakey described hiring and classification work needed to create new ONS roles (life coaches, outreach specialists and behavioral-health positions), noting that some classifications and pay bands had to be developed in coordination with HR and unions.

Council follow-up requests and context: Council members asked for more detailed, periodic caseload reporting and for cost estimates showing what it would take to sustain ARP-supported positions if ARPA and other grants end. CAO pointed to appendix slides (cited by Olsen) that show court appearances and caseload figures and said staff would share follow-up information. Several council members urged that the city plan proactively for recurring costs that sustain diversion programs and court support rather than rely on time-limited grants.

Community grants and Neighborhood Safety Community Council: Olsen and ONS staff described the Neighborhood Safety Community Council (NSCC) and its grant activities. The presentation listed three contracts that are scheduled to end in 2025 or 2026 (community patrol Boots on the Ground, Hired and a contractor producing the ONS podcast) and described open grant applications through the NSCC.

What was not decided: The committee received the presentation and asked multiple follow-ups but recorded no motions, votes or formal budget approvals during this segment.

Ending note: Olsen and ONS leaders asked council members to continue conversations about sustainable funding for court support, prosecutors, victim-witness work and community interventions and to help recruit youth for programs that depend on city-funded partnerships and community-based organizations.