Crawford County approves $50,000 from opioid settlement fund for mental-health outreach

The Crawford County Commission voted to approve a $50,000 request from a mental-health program to expand opioid treatment and naloxone access, commissioners said Friday. The request followed a presentation described in the meeting as coming from Carver County Mental Health. Why it matters: The money comes from opioid settlement funds that the county must spend for treatment, prevention and related programs; commissioners said the county holds and reimburses recipients from that fund and must report expenditures to the state attorney general. At the meeting, county staff reported that the settlement fund balance is $233,374.29 and said the county has approved several projects previously, including recovery court operations and a program to serve people who do not qualify for or lack insurance. County staff said reimbursements are processed on a receipts basis — recipients submit invoices or receipts and the county pays back expenditures so spending can be accounted for to the attorney general’s office. Commissioners discussed the pace of spending from the fund; staff said the county had reported only $573.64 spent in 2024 and urged that available funds be used for approved programs. A commissioner asked whether monthly bill packages include receipts; staff said they should be included. A motion to approve the mental-health request for $50,000 was made, seconded and carried. Meeting remarks noted settlements continue to produce funds and that some settlement streams run for 15 to 20 years. What it does not say: The presentation was described as from “Carver County Mental Health” in the record; the meeting did not provide a detailed line-item budget for the $50,000 in the public record beyond confirming that expenditures would be reimbursed on submission of receipts.