The new department would join the city’s Police Department and Fire Department/EMS as a third public-safety branch. It would absorb the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, preserving its violence-prevention work, while expanding alternatives to police responses for some nonviolent 911 calls. Those alternatives could include trained mental-health professionals and social workers.

Council President Zeke Cohen, the bill’s lead sponsor, said the goal is to send an appropriate responder to a crisis. He called Monday’s vote a major step toward building a crisis-response system.

The proposal’s costs remain a point of disagreement. Councilman Mark Conway, the only member to vote against advancing the bill, said the city has not established the department’s full price or staffing and material needs. Conway estimated the initial cost could be about $50 million, with expenses potentially rising in later years, and criticized moving ahead before more funding information was available.

Cohen said the first $15 million would come from the city’s opioid restitution fund. He also argued that redirecting some calls involving mental health and homelessness could eventually reduce police overtime costs. Mayor Brandon Scott has said the department would require city funding.

Conway said he wants the city to complete its financial review before taxpayers are asked to cover unanticipated costs. Councilmembers Ryan Dorsey and Danielle McCray were absent and did not vote.

The council’s vote was a preliminary step; the bill still needs final approval. If adopted, the department would formalize and broaden the city’s use of non-police responses to certain emergencies, while its long-term budget and staffing requirements remain unsettled.