Richland County committee debates use of opioid settlement funds after treatment court seeks national-conference support

The Richland County Community and Health Services Standing Committee discussed how to spend approximately $159,097.71 in opioid settlement funds, including a treatment-court request to use the money to send team members to a national training conference.

Committee members opened the agenda item by explaining the county has received periodic opioid settlement payments and that deposits have “trickled in,” with the current available balance reported at $159,097.71. The county set aside the settlement funds for prevention, treatment and recovery programs; the committee must recommend allocations before the full county board reviews them in December.

Sue Larson, representing Richland County Treatment Court, described the court’s proposal to use opioid-settlement money to send members of the treatment-court team to the All Rise national conference. Larson said the treatment-court team includes the judge, the district attorney, public defenders, probation, law enforcement and treatment providers, and explained the program’s goal of reducing recidivism and supporting participants through treatment.

Larson said the treatment court has operated in Richland County since 2017 and pointed to past outcomes: “Since 2017, 32 people have graduated from the program,” she said. She asked the committee to consider funding travel and registration for up to 9–10 team members so the full team could attend national workshops tailored to each team role.

Committee members repeatedly raised budget and prioritization questions. Several asked whether the Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) grant or other existing budgets could cover some travel costs, whether other counties fund similar travel, and whether sending the entire team in a single year would deliver demonstrable benefit relative to phased attendance. One member noted state TAD funds routinely cover attendance at the state conference, but that national conferences are not currently budgeted under TAD.

Members also questioned whether the large travel request (presenters estimated “up to $230,000” in one draft budget) was appropriate given the county’s available settlement balance. After extended discussion—covering the value of team training, potential cost sharing, and the uncertain schedule and registration timeline for the national conference—the committee declined to recommend approval at this meeting and asked staff and treatment-court leaders to return with additional information. The committee asked for: (1) a clearer, itemized budget for any travel request; (2) last year’s national conference agenda or breakout-session list; (3) analysis of whether TAD or other grants could offset costs; and (4) examples from counties that attended the national conference about what they implemented afterward.

Separately, the committee considered a second treatment-court request: $5,000 in opioid-settlement grant funds to pay incentives and graduation supplies for participants (gas cards, household items, modest rewards and reimbursement-based purchases). Staff explained the TAD grant no longer permits incentive purchases, and the $5,000 request was structured as reimbursement for itemized receipts. The committee voted to forward that $5,000 incentive request to the full county board for final approval.

Next steps include returning the national-conference proposal with the requested budget details and funding alternatives at the committee’s Dec. 5 meeting; the $5,000 incentive application will move to the county board in December for final action.