Council committee recommends splitting $330,000 in opioid‑abatement funds among four local providers; attorney‑general reporting and reimbursement emphasized

A city ad‑hoc committee and staff briefed the Rochester City Council April 15 on recommended uses of roughly $330,000 in opioid‑abatement settlement funds and on how the city plans to manage reporting requirements tied to the Attorney General’s settlement guidelines.

Councilor Tim Fontenot, chair of the mayor’s opioid‑abatement committee, described a process that began with a posted request for proposals in December and yielded about a dozen submissions from eight organizations by a January deadline. Committee members used a scoring matrix — weighting agency capacity, fit with core abatement strategies, reporting plans, reach/impact (30% weight) and sustainability — to rank proposals and identify finalists.

The committee’s recommendation is to distribute available funds among four organizations that presented at the council meeting: Hope on Haven Hill, Dismas House, Infinity Peer Support and SOS Recovery (the committee proposed fully funding three finalists and partially funding a fourth). Committee members explained their aim was to spread funds across populations and service types — higher‑intensity residential services for justice‑involved women, peer support and outreach, and youth/family prevention and education — rather than concentrate the entire allocation on a single provider.

Requested amounts vs. city availability

Committee members said the proposals requested nearly $1,000,000 in total (the committee cited a total requested amount of about $997,028) while the city had approximately $330,000 available. The organizations’ proposals included a range of requests discussed during presentations: Hope on Haven Hill requested $100,000; Dismas House requested about $300,000 for a Rochester residential expansion; Infinity Peer Support requested $50,000 to expand peer‑facilitated services and van support; and SOS Recovery proposed a $25,000 prevention/education pilot. Committee members said these figures reflect applicants’ asks; final awards remain subject to council approval and to meeting reporting and compliance terms.

Attorney‑general reporting and reimbursement guidance

Finance Director Mark Sullivan said the Attorney General’s office requires strict reporting that demonstrates funds were used for opioid abatement and that the city will have to attest to those expenditures when it reports upward. “There has to be an opioid component to it and they have to demonstrate that,” Sullivan said. He recommended execution of municipal funding agreements, strong initial reporting and either a reimbursement approach or milestone‑based disbursements rather than a single large upfront payment, because incorrectly documented expenditures could be returned by the DOJ and difficult for the city to recover.

City staff added that agencies chosen to receive funds would be required to submit auditing‑quality reports and to accept municipal oversight clauses. Mr. Solomon (city counsel’s office) said the city has to be prepared to review agencies’ documentation and that “the reporting back is probably going to be tough for us to interpret,” underscoring the need for clear billing, documentation and an initial reimbursement or seed‑funding model.

Providers’ presentations

Representatives from the four finalist organizations described their proposals and existing capacities. Cheryl Andrews of Dismas House said the Manchester‑based program serves justice‑involved women with substance‑use disorders and wants to open a Rochester facility to expand from 8 to 22 beds. Maggie Padgett of SOS Recovery proposed an evidence‑based family prevention program (Collaborative & Proactive Solutions) and told the council SOS already manages roughly $200,000 in opioid‑abatement funds for criminal‑justice work and has existing monthly/quarterly data reporting. Jim Ricker of Infinity Peer Support said the agency serves about 560 members county‑wide and that roughly 387 of its members are Rochester residents; Infinity asked for funds to add peer facilitators/van support and to build opioid‑focused peer groups. Carrie Norton of Hope on Haven Hill described residential and outpatient services for pregnant and parenting women, recovery housing and existing clinical supports; she asked for $100,000 to expand medical and outpatient capacity in Rochester.

What the council faces next

The committee forwarded its recommendations to the finance committee and the council with a request that the council adopt the allocations and funding approach. Several councilors and staff urged awarding funds only after the city establishes municipal funding agreements with measurable reporting and suggested partial upfront seed funding tied to specific milestones or a reimbursement model to limit the city’s fiscal risk and ensure DOJ reporting compliance.

No final appropriation vote was recorded at the April 15 meeting; council action will be scheduled for a later meeting after final paperwork and recommended award amounts are prepared.