The Livonia City Council approved a two-year renewal of an agreement with Hygra Health to continue the police department's mental-health co-response program, the council heard.

Chief of Police described the social-worker program as "extremely successful," asking council to waive the formal bidding process and extend the contract. He said clinician Jonathan Reed had handled 2,212 referrals over the last two years and participated in 894 core responses with officers. "Our use of force necessities has gone down over 80% in the last couple of years," the chief said, noting the program's goal is to get people the help they need.

The chief added that no general tax dollars would be used for the contract; funding comes from the opioid settlement that has been distributed to municipalities. Council members offered approving on consent and several audience members, including Sydney Fleming, expressed support for the renewal and thanked the vendor for holding rates steady.

What's next: The council approved the renewal on the consent calendar and plans to continue the contract through the next two-year period under the same pricing.