Rosemount proclaims August for fentanyl and overdose awareness; county and grieving family join mayor

Rosemount Mayor Jeffrey D. Wiesenfeld read a proclamation on Aug. 4, 2025, designating August as a month for overdose and fentanyl poisoning awareness and naming Aug. 21 as National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day and Aug. 31 as International Overdose Awareness Day in the city.

The proclamation was introduced by a city presenter, who invited James “JJ” Johnson Jr., Dakota County’s overdose prevention program coordinator, to speak at the council meeting. Johnson said Dakota County is expanding countywide efforts in August and beyond to raise awareness about fentanyl, to train residents on naloxone use and safe medication disposal, and to reduce stigma. He noted law enforcement officers are administering naloxone in the field and urged a community-wide response to the crisis. Johnson also said the county will host an overdose response training on Sept. 17 at the Robert Trail Library.

The Young family — whose son Michael James Young died in 2021 of an accidental opioid overdose — attended the meeting and were invited up for a photo after the proclamation. The city presenter said Jackie Young serves on the city opioid awareness committee and that the Young family’s loss was a factor in local awareness work. The proclamation text presented to council cited statewide statistics for 2024 and described fentanyl as a synthetic opioid often unknowingly ingested through counterfeit pills and other street drugs.

Council members did not take formal action beyond adopting the proclamation and arranging the photo opportunity; the presenter flagged a related community vigil and events on Aug. 31 and the steeple at the Robert Trail Library to be lit purple in the week leading to the vigil.

The council and staff also noted they would follow up with the Young family on a separate development‑fees matter mentioned earlier in the meeting.