Way back in February, the Mercury was first to point out that one of the most hyped pieces of Portland's police reform deal—construction of a walk-in or drop-off center for people in crisis—was merely "aspirational."

The Oregonian's editorial board finally picked up that issue late last month, writing scathingly about broken community trust in the wake of a narrowly crafted legal appeal of the city's police reform agreement. It suggested a newfound commitment to the mental health center as a means of healing some of those fractures.

But the overall tone of that piece was dispiriting. Though it reported Mayor Charlie Hales having talks with Multnomah County about such a facility—it also reported Hales saying he would "provide no money" toward the center's "creation." ("Creation's a careful word choice, in that it's different from "operation.")

Mayor Charlie Hales has discussed such a center with Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury, said Hales' spokesman Dana Haynes. Yet the mayor also told a gathering of health-care and governmental representatives recently that the city will provide no money the center's creation.

There may be something to that distinction. Hales told me this morning—during a break in a city council hearing that saw officials all but choose a reform compliance officer—that he'll commit to investing some city money in a crisis center. Just not all of the funding required. And only as part of a deal with the county, the State of Oregon, private hospitals, and the Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) meant to help dispense federal Medicaid money as part of the Affordable Care Act.

"I'm not going to be cheap about things," Hales said. "That includes money."

His comments to me came after he said, during impassioned testimony in defense of his (criticized) choice of the city's reforms compliance officer, that he supported every single piece of the city's deal with the feds. That would include a crisis facility, even though that "aspirational" item always relied on the city working with other governments to get things open.

Hales wouldn't say when that money might come, saying "I don't know" when asked if an allotment might make its way into the city's upcoming 2015-2016 budget. He also stressed the traditional division of government missions he's tried to reinforce since taking over as mayor last year—another indication he doesn't want the city to be solely in charge of whatever's constructed.

Health care is typically funded by the county, state, and federal governments. Under Hales, the city worked with county officials to untangle Portland's contributions to another crisis center that, for what cops said were logistical reasons, wasn't well-used. Hales confirmed he's not interested in building or running the center by himself, but fully realizes that the city needs to throw in something to make one work.

"We're not in the business of providing mental health or medical services," he said. "There are others who are."

Hales said he "absolutely" sees the need for the crisis center laid out in the deal. He mentioned the Labor Day police shooting of DeNorris McClendon, who was shot on Interstate 84 after officers said they saw him point an air pistol resembling a handgun. McClendon had been in and out of hospitals, in crisis and under the influence, in the hours before he was shot.

The mayor said McClendon's injuries on Labor Day could have been avoided, and didn't need to cost the bureau $30,000 for its response to reports of a man trying to carjack drivers and wandering into traffic.

"Can we do better?" Hales asked. "We damned well have to do better."

He's hoping next year's legislative session offers some hope and noted that extensive discussions have long been under way. They were under way when I wrote about this all last February, I'll note. Let's hope they're a bit more more than under way by the next one.