Thurston County delay stalls regional opioid-abatement spending; Lacey officials press for clarity

Council members on Sept. 16 described a hold-up in regional plans to pool opioid-abatement settlement dollars for larger, regional programs. The council heard that the county is re-examining an interlocal agreement (ILA) that would allow cities and the county to pool settlement funds and pursue larger treatment and prevention programs.

Councilmember (and Thurston County representative) Peter Greenstein said early meetings of the countywide opioid abatement council had consensus that pooling funds would produce a larger regional program. But he said the county has stepped back while it considers whether some of the settlement funds should be used to offset existing county social-service expenditures. “The county has kinda taken a step back … due to some of their budget issues,” Greenstein said, adding that money is currently “sitting in the bank” instead of being spent on community programs.

City Manager Rick and other officials noted an existing ILA that created the Abatement Council under the statewide 1 Washington settlement, and they said the existing agreement allows jurisdictions to spend funds locally if they cannot agree on a pooled regional project. Officials said the current holdup concerns a proposed amendment that would enable jurisdictions to pool money; county staff are reviewing whether to sign that amendment.

Mayor Andy Ryder said the cities and county will meet soon and that the council expects to press for clarity at that meeting so a decision can be made: “At some point, we as a council will have to make some decisions as to do we move forward maybe with the other cities even if the county isn't ready to go or even on our own with the money to get it out into the community to actually start helping some people.”

Why this matters Opioid-abatement settlement funds are intended for prevention, treatment and recovery programs. Local officials said pooling resources would allow larger-scale regional investments but that the county’s delay is holding back spending. The delay means funding intended for community services remains unexpended while councilmembers urge a prompt decision about whether to proceed jointly or for jurisdictions to spend their settlement shares locally.

What officials want next City leaders said they expect more clarity after an upcoming meeting with county officials and that if the county declines to join a pooled approach cities may proceed with their allocated shares. Officials emphasized that the existing ILA allows jurisdictions to use their individual settlement dollars if the regional option is not agreed.

Ending The mayor and city manager said they will seek a commitment from the county in coming days and will report back to the council about whether the county will join a pooled approach or spend its settlement funds separately.