Councilors discussed a letter from RISE, dated April 29, saying that services funded through Dec. 31, 2025, may cease on June 4 unless the city or other funders provide additional commitments. Mayor Zafford said the correspondence indicates RISE might not be able to staff and continue services and called the letter “a cry for help.”

Mayor Zafford said he intends to bring a resolution at the next council meeting, and to include funding for RISE services in the 2026 proposed budget where legally allowable. "It is our moral responsibility to continue funding this until we have a permanent solution," he said in the meeting, and he asked staff and councilors to prepare for budget discussions.

Council members raised procedural and contractual questions: several said the RFP and contract contain a cancellation or severability clause that requires notice (discussed as either 30 or 60 days in the meeting), and that RISE had not provided the contractually required notice. The mayor and other officials said they had conversations with RISE leadership and had a scheduled follow-up meeting at 10:00 the next day to seek clarity.

Councilors emphasized the operational difficulty of staffing shelter services and said the organization cited recruitment challenges. Multiple councilors framed the issue as both a humanitarian concern and a public-safety and service-delivery problem during the busy summer season; one councilor called the potential closure a "major failure" if it occurred.

The mayor said the city has a commitment to fund the shelter through the end of the year from the city’s side, but that long-term solutions—city-owned land, county coordination, bonding or other measures—would be explored during the budget cycle. The transcript records the mayor's intent to bring a formal resolution to the council and to include funding in the 2026 budget process, but it does not record a formal council vote on any resolution in the provided excerpts.

Councilors requested more information on RISE's notice and the specific reasons RISE identified for potential termination; one councilor said the letter included language alleging that "elected officials think homeless people should be incarcerated," which several councilors said they disagreed with and sought clarification on. Officials said they would meet with RISE leadership and report back at subsequent meetings.