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Bradley County earmarks $50,000 in opioid funds for district attorney—s drug task force; neighboring counties likely to chip in
Summary
The mayor's budget proposal included $50,000 from opioid settlement funds to support the district attorney—s drug task force; the DA told commissioners neighboring counties plan to contribute as well and staff cautioned that the state retains part of opioid settlement funds for separate grants.
The Bradley County budget proposal presented June 5 includes $50,000 from the county's opioid-related fund to support the district attorney's drug task force, and the district attorney told commissioners he expects neighboring counties to contribute similar amounts.
District Attorney General Hatchett (as referenced in the meeting) told commissioners that McMinn and Monroe counties were likely to allocate part of their opioid funds to the same task force after completing their budget processes. County leaders said the multi-county contribution would support opioid-related investigations and prosecution across the judicial district.
During discussion the mayor noted that the state retained about half of the opioid settlement funds and that local officials should not rely entirely on local appropriations to support state-level agencies or programs; the mayor suggested the DA apply for state grants as well as local contributions. County staff said they added the $50,000 allocation to the opioid fund line (page 83 of the packet) to support both local investigations and coordinated district efforts.
The board did not change the principle of awarding opioid funds through the county's established process; commissioners said they will monitor implementation and ask the DA to report back on results and outside contributions.
