Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Opioid Restitution Fund topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council presses administrators on opioid restitution fund distribution and strategic plan
Summary
Council President Cohen and other councilmembers pressed city officials about the initial distribution approach for Baltimore’s opioid restitution fund, asking why a small first round of awards favored named entities and agencies and requesting clearer strategic planning and transparency for future tranches.
Council leaders pressed city administrators on June 1, 2025, about how Baltimore will distribute money from the opioid restitution fund, raising concerns that an initial tranche may have favored entities named in settlements and some city agencies without a competitive process.
"The losers who do not get grants are not going to be happy," Council President Cohen said during the Budget & Appropriations Committee hearing, articulating frustration heard from members of the opioid restitution advisory board. Cohen asked how future tranches would ensure more money is available for frontline recovery and harm-reduction organizations.
Acting Chief Recovery Officer Elizabeth Tatum replied that the $2,000,000 referenced by Cohen is within the Baltimore City mayor’s office of overdose response (BC Moore) budget and not the recovery office’s budget; the recovery office will work with BC Moore to develop and implement the RFP process. Tatum said the two offices have different roles: BC Moore focuses on strategy and program design while the recovery office focuses on grants management and compliance.
Deputy City Administrator Shamaya Kearney addressed concerns that the word "rectify" implied wrongdoing. Kearney said the city has about $206.6 million recovered and available, and she stressed the administration’s decision to ground awards in a strategic plan and needs assessment before broadly distributing funds. "As we do the needs assessment, as we complete a strategic plan, we will then use that information to help us decide what, if any, additional funds will go to some of our nonprofit partners," Kearney said.
Councilmembers and advisory-board members expressed a related concern about expectations: some advisory-board members expected earlier direction and more immediate awards. Kearney acknowledged the feedback and said the administration must balance speed with the need for an evidence-based strategy to guide long-term investments.
Councilmember Blanchard asked why the restitution fund’s 15-year budget was flat instead of front-loaded; Tatum referred that technical question to the city budget office, saying long-range projections will be revisited as programs stand up and results are measured.
Ending: City officials committed to continued coordination with BC Moore, the recovery office and the restitution advisory board, and to using a needs assessment and the forthcoming strategic plan to inform future RFPs and tranches.
