Union County outlines strategic plan for $17.7 million in opioid settlement funds

Union County staff told the Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 15 that the county will receive about $17.7 million from national opioid settlements to be paid over an 18-year period and described how the county plans to use and account for the funds.

The presentation, led by county staff and technical assistance staff from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC), said the county has placed settlement proceeds in a special revenue fund, has received about $6.64 million in initial payments and that the county previously authorized $2.7 million in first-phase funding for eight initiatives running July 2023 through June 30, 2026. County staff also reported a likely third “wave” of payments estimated at about $2.1 million and said additional waves are possible but not expected to be significant.

The update matters because the North Carolina memorandum of agreement (MOA) governing the settlements sets specific rules on how local governments must structure, authorize, spend and report settlement dollars. Neeti (Niti) Such Deva, director of strategic health and opioid initiatives with the NCACC, told the board the state negotiated an MOA that directs about 85% of North Carolina’s settlement money to local governments and requires several guardrails, including using a special revenue fund, board authorization for spending before it occurs, and annual public meetings.

County staff summarized the MOA’s five broad local requirements discussed at the meeting: create and use a special revenue fund to isolate settlement dollars; authorize spending in advance of expenditures; follow MOA reporting requirements (forward-looking spending plans and backward-looking financial and impact reports); meet specified program and evaluation steps to access a broader set of allowable strategies; and hold at least one annual public meeting that includes municipalities and the public. "Our hope by the end of the settlements is that all people in North Carolina are healthy and that they have connections to supports and services within a culture of care," Such Deva said.

County staff described the local planning process the county used to recommend initial investments. A collaborative strategic planning work group with more than 35 community partners — including courts, Union County Public Schools, EMS, hospitals, law enforcement, higher education, faith-based organizations and treatment providers — met several times in late 2022 to establish a vision, three population-level goals and seven core strategies for at least the first three years. The stated goals are preventing opioid use, reducing harm from opioids and related substances, and connecting affected people to care and support.

Staff said initial, board-approved allocations of $2.7 million fund eight initiatives for the first three-year cycle and that the county will present performance data and impact stories from those partners in October. County staff said performance reporting will include three components: population-level indicators, core-strategy performance and funded-partner reporting; the county will use REDCap (via Wingate University) to collect partner-level data. Annual impact reports and other required reports will be posted publicly via the statewide settlement portal and local reporting systems.

Commissioner Holmes asked for a brief update on a previously approved youth prevention program jointly run by Union County Public Schools and the sheriff’s office. A county program representative said the school program began in October 2024 and currently runs in two clusters — Sun Valley Middle/High and Porter Ridge Middle/High — using the Too Good for Drugs curriculum. The representative said 661 students participated in the 2024–25 school year and that the program is scheduled to resume in October.

Staff outlined the next steps and schedule: begin the next strategic-planning sessions Sept. 16; collect commissioner priority input via a survey; present performance data and partner impact stories in October; aim for the board to adopt updated strategies and an allocation approach in January 2026; open an application or request-for-information process January 2026; select recommended funded partners in March 2026; and begin new contracts July 1, 2026. Staff emphasized that local governments must adopt resolutions authorizing planned spending in advance of expenditures to meet MOA requirements.

The presenters named several statewide supports and resources available to Union County: the NCACC’s opioid settlement technical assistance team (OSTAT), Core NC (a partnership among the North Carolina Department of Justice, NCACC, the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center and the Department of Health and Human Services), UNC (for data and evaluation support) and the state Department of Health and Human Services. Staff directed commissioners to the ncopioidsettlement.org portal for public dashboards and local spending plans.

Votes at a glance: The meeting included routine procedural votes: the board adopted the published consent and business agendas by voice vote earlier in the meeting; the board later approved adjournment by voice vote.

The update included multiple reminders of compliance and reporting deadlines; staff asked commissioners to complete a survey on funding priorities to inform the next round of strategic planning. The county said it will present draft allocation recommendations and proposed funded partners in early 2026 so the board can decide whether and how to proceed for the July 2026 funding cycle.

The county presenters and NCACC staff emphasized that the MOA limits allowable activities to strategies tied to opioid abatement (exhibit A) unless the county completes the MOA’s collaborative strategic planning steps to unlock the broader exhibit B strategies. They also emphasized that settlement funds are private-litigation dollars (not federal grants), are not time-limited in the same way as many grants, and must be tracked separately in county accounting. The county noted existing investments in treatment court, recovery supports and school prevention programs will be part of the performance reporting and future funding discussions.