Lynnwood staff propose $525,000 initial opioid-abatement spending round, solicit community proposals

City staff asked the Lynnwood City Council on Oct. 20 to authorize an initial allocation of opioid-abatement settlement funds and to approve a grant-making process to distribute the money to local providers and internal programs.

Julie Moore, Assistant City Administrator, and Kyle Ward, Human Services Coordinator, presented a spending plan that staff said follows the 1 Washington memorandum of understanding (MOU) and the local opioid abatement council (OAC) requirements. "When Lynnwood signed on to the 1 Washington opioid settlement, we agreed to spend the funds within the allowable uses set within the MOU and to continue receiving payouts from the settlement," Ward said.

Staff proposed authorizing $525,000 from the city's opioid fund: $500,000 for contracts with local providers, to be awarded through a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), and $25,000 to help cover contract administration (a partial offset to the Human Services Coordinator's salary while he administers the program). Contracts would run for two-year periods, with a cap of five awards per cycle and a maximum per award of $250,000 (staff said the cap was a starting guardrail, not a fixed limit).

Ward outlined a proposed process: release a NOFO; receive applications through the city procurement portal; the city's opioid abatement task group (staff, a council liaison and community representatives) would score proposals and interview finalists; staff would bring recommended contracts to council for final approval and then administer contracts and reporting. Ward said the city already has web-based outreach material and a human-services webpage with background information and a comment channel.

Councilmembers praised the plan's clarity and community-engagement elements and volunteered to serve in oversight roles. Council member Escamilla offered to serve as the council liaison; Council member Decker urged staff to reserve recurring funding to sustain the Lynnwood Police Department's current "scout" social worker, which is funded this year from opioid and other sources (about $42,000) and is shared with neighboring jurisdictions; staff said requests for ongoing internal program funding could be brought back to the task group and to council for budget action.

Ward said Lynnwood has about $920,000 remaining in the opioid settlement balance after prior allocations and that expected annual receipts average about $186,000 and may increase as additional settlements are signed. The city has already dedicated money for a shared social worker and other programs; pending council direction, the NOFO would be issued with the goal of scoring and selecting applicants by February and executing contracts by March.