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Commissioners allocate $50,000 from opioid settlement fund to local recovery house for transportation and services
Summary
The board voted to earmark $50,000 from county opioid-settlement funds for Path of Ease Association to purchase a transport van and cover initial operating expenses for a recovery house in Fort Scott.
Bourbon County commissioners approved a $50,000 allocation from local opioid-settlement funds on Monday for Path of Ease Association, a newly formed Fort Scott nonprofit that operates a women-and-children recovery house.
Founder Jennifer Simhiser told the board that transportation is a major gap for recovery services in Fort Scott. "We don't have transportation for recovery in Fort Scott. All of our transportation services end at 6PM," she said, explaining that the house cannot reliably get residents to evening meetings, church or regional recovery events without a van.
The group had identified a vehicle and requested money to buy and operate it. The board discussed options for disbursing funds; county staff advised that the safest approach would be to pay vendors directly for a vehicle purchase and require bids or invoices for insurance, tags and operating costs. Commissioners unanimously approved a motion to allocate $50,000 from the county's opioid-settlement account to Path of Ease Association and to require documentation (quotes or invoices) for disbursement.
Why this matters: The opioid settlement funds are designated for addiction-recovery services and related programs; local allocation decisions determine how those dollars are used. Path of Ease said the house allows residents to remain with children during recovery, a service the speaker said is not available elsewhere locally.
Details: The requester identified a used 15-passenger van with an asking price communicated during the meeting; commissioners authorized county staff to work with the nonprofit on purchases and to ensure the vehicle and subsequent expenses are titled and documented in the nonprofit's name. Board members requested verification of nonprofit status and references; members of the nonprofit's board attended and provided endorsements.
Ending: The allocation will be administered through the clerk's office; Path of Ease will deliver bids/receipts for purchases and operating costs for approval and disbursement.
