LGCC adopts joint opioid settlement implementation plan after debate over school prevention funding and work‑plan exhibits

The Local Government Coordinating Commission voted to accept a joint opioid settlement implementation plan on March 4, 2025, approving policy guidance for how city, county and Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) officials should prioritize settlement dollars. The final motion passed by recorded vote after several amendments and extensive debate about exhibits that list proposed projects and dollar amounts.

Why it matters: The plan sets local priorities for roughly the next three years of opioid‑settlement funding for Bernalillo County and the City of Albuquerque, including prevention, treatment, recovery housing and community‑based services. Commissioners and city and county staff debated how prescriptive the document should be about specific line‑item proposals and whether APS’s Crossroads prevention program should receive the levels of funding recommended in earlier drafts.

Public commenters including APS counselors urged the commission to fund school‑based prevention. Jennifer Topley, a behavioral health therapist for Albuquerque Public Schools, said, “prevention starts long before addiction takes hold,” and described school therapists’ role in early intervention. Samantha Ashby, a Crossroads counselor, told the commission that “expansion of these programs will save lives,” and said additional counselors would help reach students before substance use begins. Debbie Medina and Michelle Medved, both Crossroads…