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City staff propose advisory committee to allocate opioid‑settlement funds
Summary
City Attorney Burke and City Clerk Dean told the committee the city has received approximately $71,000 as of Sept. 2024, expected to receive another $18,000 in the near term, and recommended a volunteer advisory committee to solicit proposals and recommend spending of opioid‑settlement dollars.
City Attorney Burke and City Clerk Clark Dean outlined a proposed process for spending the city’s opioid‑settlement money and recommended forming a volunteer advisory committee to review proposals and make funding recommendations to council.
Burke said the city has received approximately $71,000 as of September 2024 and expects another $18,000 in the next payment cycle. “The way the opioid settlement works is you receive payments through every year until 02/1938,” Burke told the committee, adding that cumulative payments to the city are expected to total just under $300,000 by that date but that funds are distributed annually rather than as a single lump sum.
Burke said City Clerk Dean recommended a grant‑style process modeled on the city’s human‑services disbursement: create a volunteer advisory committee of five to seven community members with a council‑member liaison; advertise for proposals; have the committee evaluate applications and then make recommendations to the council for approval. “This committee could advertise that we’re seeking proposals, and then they would be the ones that would look at the proposals and then make a recommendation to council,” Burke said.
The committee discussed the mechanics: the city will receive annual settlement payments; the advisory committee’s recommendations would go to council for allocation decisions; and the amount awarded can vary by proposal and does not have to expend the entire yearly payment. Council Member Cotton and others indicated interest in participating and asked about practices used in other municipalities; Burke said she has seen similar models used successfully elsewhere.
Discussion versus formal action: no formal council vote established the advisory committee at this meeting. The committee signaled support for the proposed process and for returning with a formal framework for committee appointments and an application timeline for council approval.
Next steps described: staff will return with a proposed advisory‑committee charter, application timeline and recommended council liaison(s) and appointment process.
