Muncie council approves transfer of $526,072.77 in opioid settlement funds for police and fire raises after heated public comment

The Muncie Common Council voted April 7 to transfer $526,072.77 of unrestricted opioid settlement funds to pay salary increases for the city’s police and fire departments, following an extensive public comment period that included pleas from people in recovery and local service providers to reserve the money for treatment and prevention.

The dispute centered on competing uses for opioid settlement dollars. Deputy City Controller Matt Wigley told the council that the $526,072.77 “represents less than a third of the amount appropriated for this year. There's $1,138,450.51 that is to go directly to the treatment of opioid addiction.” Wigley and other city officials said the transfer is needed to fund negotiated contracts and avoid an economic emergency that could force the city to reopen bargaining.

The council’s vote followed repeated public pleas to prioritize harm reduction and long-term recovery services. Tanya Pearson, who identified herself as living in the South Central neighborhood and said she is “an addict and alcoholic in recovery for 18 years,” told the council the payment should “be invested in both recovery and harm reduction centers, but also in long term aftercare programs with a focus on longer term goals, like sufficient rehabilitation, followed by education and job training and, housing stipends.”

Labor and public-safety speakers said the raises are necessary to retain staff and maintain emergency response capacity. Jason Chaffin, president of Local 1348, said, “No one serves on the front lines like we do” and described hundreds of overdose calls his members answer. Brandon Qualls, president of FOP Lodge 87, said the Muncie department ranks low in pay and that understaffing would reduce community services.

Members of the police social-work team defended the use of funds for first-responder support and for the social workers’ own salaries, which are being paid from opioid dollars. Dr. Sally Archer Jones, a social worker assigned to the Muncie Police Department, said the team has responded to about 700 calls since being on the road and that the social workers provide outreach, Narcan distribution, housing help and crisis follow-up. “We provide Narcan as appropriate, and we also provide Narcan prophylactically,” Archer Jones said.

Opponents of the transfer argued the settlement money was intended to address the long-term harms of opioid misuse and should support recovery infrastructure rather than recurring payroll. Sarah Vitale, a Muncie resident, said the $500,000 “wouldn’t even go very far towards making the salaries of police and fire personnel competitive with surrounding areas, and it's also only for 1 year,” and called using the funds for raises “against the spirit of the settlement funds.” Several speakers noted Delaware County’s high overdose fatality rate and urged the council to wait until an advisory committee was in place.

Council members and staff discussed technical details about how the opioid funds were appropriated and whether negotiated contracts assumed this revenue. City Controller Craig Wright and other staff said the city budget shows an opioid distribution unrestricted line (referenced in the meeting as account 14119439006) that made funds available this year, and that the administration used that flexibility in negotiating with unions.

Following the public comment and multiple motions — including a motion to table that was brought up during the meeting — the council voted to adopt the ordinance transferring the unrestricted opioid funds to police and fire salary lines. The vote was contentious and prompted follow-up motions, questions about next-year budget impacts and calls for greater transparency on how settlement dollars are being allocated.

The council also adopted a separate resolution at the same meeting to establish an opioid fund advisory committee to provide local guidance on the settlement dollars and related programs. Advocates urged the committee to include community members and people with lived experience in addiction, and speakers recommended the panel follow evidence-based practices for prevention, treatment and long-term recovery support.

Why it matters: Delaware County is among the counties in Indiana with a high rate of overdose deaths, and residents, providers and public-safety officials said they want the same goal — fewer deaths and stronger recovery pathways — but disagree sharply on which near-term uses of limited settlement dollars will best achieve it. The decision leaves the city using some unrestricted opioid funding to cover negotiated raises while also setting up a local advisory body intended to guide future allocations.

What's next: Council members and residents said they expect the advisory committee to offer specific recommendations about prevention, treatment and the balance between one-time and ongoing spending. Several speakers also pushed the administration and council to identify sustainable funding sources for recurring salary increases after the one-year appropriation.