Rock County adopts updated opioid-settlement implementation plan and amends 2025 budget

Rock County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt an updated implementation plan for the county’s opioid-settlement funds and approved a budget amendment to allocate new spending for 2025–27, the board confirmed during its meeting. The plan and budget amendment passed by roll call, 26–0, with three supervisors absent.

Sherry Faber of Rock County Public Health presented the update, summarizing community needs assessments and how the county has used settlement dollars since 2022. “There are multiple companies that benefited and profited from the opioid epidemic and those companies were sued by states and municipalities and have come to settlements. Rock County is one of the municipalities that participated in those lawsuits and is getting payments from those settlements,” Faber said.

The update traces the county’s earlier allocations and describes new spending priorities identified in a late‑2024 reassessment: housing supports, transportation, closing service gaps and prevention. Under the original implementation plan the county allocated $1,380,000 for 2024–25; the new update proposes $1,678,000 in additional spending budgeted through 2027, and extends many existing programs through 2027.

Key elements in the adopted plan include grants to expand sober‑living capacity (the county previously funded three sober‑living grants that added 24 beds), startup and short‑term rent supports to help people transition out of sober living, flexible “barrier‑removal” funds (for items such as short‑term pet boarding or basic living needs), continuation of medication‑for‑opioid‑use‑disorder (MOUD) services in the jail, and continuation of screening contracts with JusticePoint for people entering the justice system. Faber said prevention grants will continue and a new round of requests for proposals will fund prevention programs for 2026–27.

Transportation was flagged repeatedly in the county’s assessment as a complicated need. The plan calls for a transportation committee to design and pilot multiple approaches, including grants to sober‑living homes to buy vehicles, contracts with ride services, a possible county driver position and mileage reimbursement for peer‑support providers.

Faber also described durable prevention measures already funded or proposed: safe‑medication disposal packets, distribution of Narcan and fentanyl test strips through a state program, distribution of lock boxes and training for the Triple P positive‑parenting program. The county used settlement and state grant funds to place a public‑health vending machine at the Beloit Public Library and to fund room‑and‑board assistance for Medicaid clients in residential treatment when Medicaid does not cover room and board.

Budget and cash‑flow figures presented by Faber: Rock County’s opioid settlement account held $3,816,000 at the end of 2024; earlier allocations of $1,380,000 (first implementation plan) plus the newly adopted $1,678,000 leave an approximate balance of $758,000. Faber said the county expects additional settlement receipts in future years (2025: $749,000; 2026: $795,000; 2027: $608,000 as presented) and that the county will not spend all funds immediately but will plan for multi‑year allocations.

The board made the motion to adopt the plan and amend the 2025 budget (motion by Supervisor Peers; second by Supervisor Fugoself). The board initially approved the measure by voice and then completed a required roll‑call budget amendment vote that recorded 26 yes, 0 no and 3 absent, resulting in passage.

The adopted implementation plan combines continuing existing contracts (for screening and jail MOUD) with new grant rounds, pilots for transportation, startup funding for additional sober‑living capacity and flexible funds to remove barriers to treatment. Staff said they will return with grant requests and program details as required by county procurement and budgeting processes.