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Howard County council approves nearly $890,000 in additional appropriations including health, opioid and energy grants
Summary
The council approved Ordinance 2025‑HCCO‑09 to reappropriate funds across multiple county accounts, covering public‑health carryovers, opioid settlement distributions, energy grants and program grants for problem‑solving courts.
The Howard County Council approved Ordinance 2025‑HCCO‑09, an additional‑appropriations ordinance that reallocated $889,069.93 across a range of county funds for 2025.
Auditor Jessica read the ordinance line by line. The ordinance included reappropriations and appropriations for multiple funds and purposes, among them:
- County general fund — commissioners’ basement restoration: $72,048.99. - Local public health services fund — program partner supplies and related line items (several thousand dollars across categories). - Unsafe properties (Lit economic development fund): approximately $56,000 (see separate article on the Stevens property and nuisance ordinance discussion). - Opioid restricted fund: $100,897.61; opioid unrestricted fund: $280,713.33; Meyer opioid settlement administrative fund: $1,925. - Family recovery court grant fund: $19,830 (graduation supplies, participant housing, transportation, education, treatment and related items). - Drug court, reentry court and court reform grant funds: combined appropriations of roughly $60,500, covering drug screens, participant needs and incentives. - County user fee project income, energy efficiency block grant (contract services and equipment totaling $200,000), and smaller discretionary or program line items.
Why it matters: The ordinance moves carryover and grant funds into current‑year appropriations so departments can spend state and grant money tied to public‑health programs, justice‑system problem‑solving courts and an energy‑efficiency project. The opioid settlement lines clarify how county opioid dollars — both restricted and unrestricted — will be spent in 2025.
Council action: Councilman Faulkner moved to approve the additional appropriations as presented; Councilman Roberts seconded. The council approved the ordinance by voice vote (all members present answered “aye”), and the auditor noted that line items will be available to the departments and grant administrators.
Ending: Several presenters — including circuit court judges and program coordinators — described grant uses for reentry, drug court and family recovery court programs and thanked the council. Departments will proceed with the spending plans subject to state grant rules and usual county accounting practices.
