Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves $125,000 opioid-settlement allocation for jail MAT program amid cost concerns
Summary
Livingston County commissioners approved using opioid-settlement funds to support medication-assisted treatment in the sheriff’s jail, with legal counsel saying the county’s settlement funds do not constitute supplanting and at least one commissioner opposing the allocation over cost concerns.
The Livingston County Board of Commissioners approved Resolution 2025-08-115 on Aug. 25 to allocate opioid-settlement funds to the sheriff’s jail for a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program for inmates.
Board legal counsel and Michigan Association of Counties representatives told commissioners the county’s local opioid-settlement funds are a different pot of money than the state’s funds and, under their advice, using the county funds for the MAT program would not constitute prohibited supplanting of existing government funding.
Sheriff’s Office representatives outlined program costs and raised a concern that medication costs — which one speaker estimated at about $1,265 per injection in some cases — could exhaust the proposed $125,000 allocation quickly. Commissioners asked for clarification about whether the funds would replace money already budgeted for the program. County administration and legal counsel concluded that the settlement funds could be used to support the jail program without supplanting because the county’s settlement funds are separate from the state’s allocation.
During the roll-call vote, Commissioner Ponovich voted “no”; the measure passed with the remaining commissioners voting yes and one commissioner absent.
The resolution authorizes the sheriff’s jail to receive $125,000 from the county’s opioid settlement allocation for the MAT program. Staff and the sheriff’s office are expected to report back on program spending and implementation.
