Thurston County public health outlines opioid settlement funding, One Washington MOU requirements

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services staff gave a briefing on March 12 about opioid settlement money the county has received and the rules that govern how that funding may be spent under the One Washington memorandum of understanding (MOU).

"All opioid settlement funding is gonna be shared 50% being kept at the state level and 50% being allocated to local jurisdictions," said Katie Strozyk, opioid and overdose response program manager. Strozyk told commissioners that the county has received about $3.5 million to date and that the county's projected total allocation from current settlements will be a little over $10 million over the schedule of multi-year payments discussed at the meeting.

Strozyk emphasized the complexity of the settlements, noting that the funding comes from multiple settlements with different payment schedules. "Some of them are paid out in a one-time payment upfront. Some of them are paid out half upfront with different payments over multiple years, and then some of them are only paid out over multiple years," she said.

The One Washington MOU, which jurisdictions signed to receive direct payments, imposes conditions before jurisdictions may spend settlement funds. Among other requirements, the MOU requires the establishment and initial meeting of opioid abatement councils (OACs) and lays out allowable uses and priority areas for remediation. Strozyk said the MOU was designed to avoid the broad diversion of settlement money seen in past national settlements, and that funds must be used for opioid-related remediation and abatement efforts rather than general government purposes.

Strozyk and county staff described ongoing interjurisdictional conversations about governance and spending processes. Some cities and the county are considering whether to pool local allocations for regional programs or retain separate jurisdictional control; staff said those governance questions — and any ILA that would govern pooled decision-making — will require further discussion. Public health staff also noted that the county had been active in state-level working groups and that Thurston County staff would continue updating commissioners and the opioid abatement council on proposed processes.

The briefing was informational; staff said no spending decisions or formal allocations were being made at the March 12 meeting. County staff also noted the meeting had fallen below a quorum later in the session, which would prevent formal action in the meeting even if one had been proposed. Commissioners praised Strozyk's work and said the presentation helped frame the more detailed discussion about the MOU and allowable uses scheduled for the next work session.

Ending

Public health will return with a deeper briefing on the One Washington MOU and allowable uses at the next work session; commissioners and city partners continue discussions over whether to pool funds regionally or retain jurisdictional control.