Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Berkeley County approves $707,968 in opioid‑settlement grants; council asks for spending reports
Summary
Council approved $707,968.64 in allocations from the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund to nine local recipients and requested documentation on past awards and spending for oversight.
Berkeley County Council approved distribution of $707,968.64 from the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund (SCORF) to nine local organizations and offices, and several council members pressed staff for more oversight and documentation on past awards.
Michelle Brown (staff) presented the SCORF board’s approved allocations and asked council to authorize payments to the nine approved recipients. The listed awards were: Berkeley County Coroner — $100,000; Wake Up Carolina — $100,000; Remnant House Outreach Ministries — $80,007.55; Ernest E. Kennedy Center — $80,007.54; Favor Lowcountry — $80,007.54; Kay Phillips Child Advocacy Center — $80,007.54; Fairhaven Home for Men — $80,007.54; Change Life Ministries — $74,990 (rounded in discussion); and the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office — $29,204 (amounts as read into the record by staff; the total equals $707,968.64).
Council members asked several procedural and oversight questions prior to the vote. One council member asked how many of the recipients had previously received Berkeley County opioid funds; Brown said she did not have past award amounts at the meeting but told council she would provide them. Council members asked whether recipients submit audits or site evidence showing how funds were spent. Brown replied that recipients submit yearly reports to the SCORF board and that those reports are expected to be consistent with eligible uses listed in the applicants’ proposals.
Council members, including several who said they had visited recipient projects, requested additional county‑level checks. One member asked for a detailed list of applicants and recipients in recent years, the amounts awarded, and documentation verifying spending (receipts or site visits). County staff agreed to provide that information. Another council member asked whether the coroner’s $100,000 request was budgeted elsewhere; staff and the coroner said the award would supplement the coroner’s budget to expand autopsy and toxicology testing for suspected overdoses.
Coroner Darnell Hartwell described operational impacts of the funding: faster toxicology results (private lab turnaround of about a month versus SLED’s multi‑month timeline), more autopsies on suspected overdoses, and the ability to share results with law‑enforcement and prevention partners more quickly. Hartwell said a county forensic autopsy (autopsy + toxicology) costs about $1,800; he said a private autopsy for a family costs about $5,000. Hartwell also described the county’s Opioid Fatality Review Board, which reviews cases monthly with community partners to identify prevention and response gaps.
After discussion and a request that staff provide recipient histories and audit evidence, council moved, seconded and approved the SCORF‑recommended allocations by voice vote. Staff said there is no local match required for these awards.
Council members who supported approval said they had seen positive outcomes from some recipients’ programs; others asked for stronger county follow‑up to confirm purchases and program deliverables matched award statements. Brown said recipients would be present at an upcoming opioid awareness day where council members could see program activity firsthand.
