Williams County commissioners on Oct. 7 approved a memorandum of understanding with the Upper Missouri District Health Unit that defines how the county will handle opioid settlement dollars and how it may grant funds to the health unit or retain funds for county use.

County staff said the 2023 state legislative changes created constraints on how settlement dollars are transferred between political subdivisions and district health units; the agreement establishes the formal process for grants, retention for county agencies, or grant distribution back into the community.

Financial update: county staff reported that, as of August, the county had collected “just shy of a $100,000” in opioid settlement funds. The administrator said that volume represented a threshold at which staff were comfortable beginning to spend funds internally and with local partners.

Why it matters: the agreement creates an administrative path for the county to spend or grant opioid settlement funds while complying with state-imposed constraints discussed during the 2023 legislative session.

What the board voted: commissioners voted to approve the agreement and authorized the chairman to sign. The motion passed by roll call.

Ending: County staff said they expect to move forward with internal spending and grants to community partners in the near term now that the governance agreement is in place.