Council OKs contracts to launch Building Bridges co‑occurring treatment court using opioid settlement funds

Lake Havasu City Council on Feb. 11 authorized three professional services agreements to support a new Building Bridges Court — a co‑occurring mental‑health and substance‑use treatment court planned to begin participant identification as soon as mid‑March. Each contract approval was contingent on available opioid‑settlement funds and the motions passed 7‑0.

Judge Clowley, who presented the items, told the council the Building Bridges Court is modeled on the city’s veterans and youth courts and is intended to provide extended, treatment‑focused supervision and services for people identified with both mental‑health and substance‑use needs. He said the program aims to reduce the harms of incarceration for people with untreated behavioral‑health conditions and improve long‑term outcomes.

The three agreements approved were: - A professional services agreement with Southwest Behavioral Health Services, Inc., to provide substance‑abuse and behavioral‑health treatment services (motion by Councilmember Jim Dolan; second by Councilmember Nancy Campbell; outcome 7‑0). Judge Clowley said Southwest will attempt to bill other funding sources first before invoicing the city, and the contract includes a per‑agreement cap tied to the opioid funding. - A professional services agreement with Avertis LLC (staff referenced AverHealth as the current testing vendor) to provide alcohol and drug testing services used by treatment courts (motion by Councilmember David Diaz; second by Councilmember Cameron Moses; outcome 7‑0). Judge Clowley said Avertis/AverHealth already provides testing for the city’s veterans and youth courts and that a separate agreement was needed for Building Bridges Court. - A professional services agreement with SCRAM of Arizona Inc. for continuous alcohol and drug monitoring (ankle‑monitor/patch technology) to be used in selected program cases (motion by Councilmember Jim Dolan; second by Councilmember Cameron Moses; outcome 7‑0). The judge said SCRAM is the primary provider for continuous‑monitoring bracelets used when more intensive monitoring is required.

Funding and timing Staff and the judge said these services will be paid from the city’s opioid‑settlement funds. Judge Clowley reported a fund balance as of December of $750,869; he said the three contracts together represent a planning-level use that, if funded at current requested levels, would average roughly $150,000 per year given the current balance and planned expenditures. City staff noted the opioid settlement will deliver payments over a multi‑year schedule (staff said the settlement payments are scheduled over approximately 20 years) and that the city is also pursuing alternative funding sources to sustain the courts beyond the current allocation.

Discussion and next steps Council members asked clarifying questions about how testing and monitoring are used within treatment courts, the mechanics of billing other payors before city invoicing, and the scope of services. Judge Clowley explained testing is used both to verify compliance and to guide treatment adjustments; he emphasized that testing and identifying positive results prompt treatment changes whereas refusal to test leads to different court responses.

Each agreement was authorized conditional on receiving the allotted opioid settlement funds; staff will finalize contracts and return any required administrative confirmations to the council as needed.