Deputy County Commissioner Melissa Williamson presented five recommended uses of Caswell County's opioid settlement funds and asked the Board of Commissioners to consider them during FY2026 budget planning.

The advisory group reported the county has collected $607,844.53 to date and will continue to receive payments over the next 18 years under the state settlement. The committee recommended funding a medications-for-opioid-use-disorder (MOUD) program in the jail, a reentry program to connect people to treatment after release, syringe-disposal sites paired with harm-reduction services, an early-intervention program for youth, and a small collaborative-planning grant.

The proposal is intended to comply with Exhibit A of the North Carolina memorandum of agreement governing opioid-settlement expenditures and to target services specifically toward individuals with opioid use disorder, Williamson said.

Key recommended allocations included continued support for the jail-based MOUD program (a two-year allocation previously approved by the board totaling $164,637, of which $36,010.34 had been spent to date), a reentry package totaling $25,935 (including $5,000 to Starting Point Rural Harm Reduction Coalition for connections to care), syringe-service funding of $57,428 (roughly $42,428 for solid-waste-funded disposal sites plus $15,000 for SPRHRC operating costs and outreach), $70,000 for a part-time early-intervention position and programming through Piedmont Community College, and $6,000 for collaborative strategic planning and community engagement.

Williamson emphasized the committee's view that the MOUD and reentry efforts "go hand in hand" so people receiving treatment in jail can continue care after release. For the syringe services recommendation, the committee proposed four fixed disposal sites and one mobile unit that would also carry outreach materials and Narcan (naloxone) supplies. Williamson said the county does not currently operate a syringe-service program and pointed to other North Carolina counties that do.

Several commissioners asked clarifying questions about current and projected settlement receipts, program locations and coordination with local fire and emergency services for distributing naloxone. Williamson said Pelham had been identified during committee discussions as an area with relatively high volumes of overdose-related calls and that the committee would seek to site services where they can reach the most need.

Williamson closed by asking the board to use the presentation to inform upcoming budget choices; she said the committee was not asking for immediate action that night.

The board did not take a formal vote on the packages during the meeting; commissioners asked staff to include the proposals in FY2026 budget deliberations and to return with implementation details and costs.

The county will continue to receive scheduled settlement payments and the advisory committee will monitor and report on funded strategies' effectiveness, Williamson said.