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Borger authorizes participation in opioid settlement; council discusses potential use for drug-court support
Summary
The council authorized the city manager to sign a participation and release form for a national opioid manufacturer settlement; staff described allowable uses and suggested one-time purchases and programmatic grants rather than ongoing salaries.
BORGER, Texas — The Borger City Council on Sept. 16 authorized the city manager to execute a combined participation and release form to participate in an opioid-manufacturer settlement that will provide funds to a local opioid fund for allowable abatement activities.
City Manager (unnamed in the transcript) explained the settlements funnel money to local jurisdictions to support abatement programs. He said allowable uses include Narcan purchases, drug-assisted rehabilitation, “warm hand” programs that coordinate housing and case management tied to recovery, and other specified project types. The manager said some categories — such as stocking Narcan on ambulances — overlap with existing services and may not be an efficient local use because of shelf life and duplication of current ambulance supplies.
Council and staff discussed potential local projects. Staff estimated the city currently has about $50,000 in settlement-related funds on hand and suggested uses that avoid creating permanent recurring costs. Examples discussed included one vehicle dedicated to drug-court transportation to ease volunteer burden, short-term housing assistance tied to verified enrollment in recovery programs, transportation support, and other programmatic grants that include measurable performance metrics. The manager said he had given Councilman Lawrence and others the settlement’s authorized project types and expects proposals to be developed by drug-court staff and partners.
A council member moved to authorize the city manager to sign the participation and release form for the settlement; the motion carried on a voice vote.
City staff noted that other local jurisdictions — the county and the hospital district — are also receiving settlement funds and may pursue complementary projects.
