Polk County supervisors approve large batch of fiscal-year resolutions, award grants and contracts, and raise refugee medical fee

The Polk County Board of Supervisors on June 30 approved a large package of resolutions, including more than $2.8 million in opioid settlement grants, a change to the Polk County Health Department fee schedule raising refugee/green-card physicals from $15 to $65, and an award of a county towing services contract that drew two dissenting votes. The board also proclaimed Juneteenth and World Refugee Day and received an update from the Des Moines Airport Authority on the airport terminal expansion.

The board moved many resolutions in grouped votes and approved them by roll call. In separate discussion, county staff described how opioid settlement funds will be used and why the health-department fee increase was necessary.

Why it matters: the approved grants and contracts fund public health, public-safety, and social-service programs across Polk County; the fee change affects refugee and immigration-related medical services that county staff say had a substantial backlog; and the towing contract governs county-requested tows tied to 911 calls and public-safety responses.

Opioid settlement grants

The board approved opioid settlement awards totaling more than $2,800,000 to community organizations over the next two years. County staff said the grants will fund a range of activities covered by the national opioid settlements: evidence-based youth prevention, harm-reduction distribution of naloxone, and integrated treatment services linking mental-health and physical-health care with substance-use treatment.

County staff said the awards include prevention grants and grants to organizations led by people with…