Dane County committee weighs priorities for opioid-settlement dollars, debates balance between harm reduction and other services

Dane County’s Health & Human Needs Committee opioid settlement subcommittee met June 9 to review possible approaches for spending incoming opioid-settlement dollars and to set a process for making formal recommendations to the county’s Health & Human Needs (HHN) committee ahead of the 2026 budget cycle.

The subcommittee’s discussion centered on a staff analysis showing most current settlement funding is directed to harm-reduction activities and on the proposed Harm Reduction Center and drop-in services. Todd Campbell, Division Administrator, presented budget alignment information and said, “we have 83% of our funding allocated to the harm reduction area. . . If we continue with the current spending plan as it is in 2026, that percentage for harm reduction increases to 93%.” He and other members clarified that the 93% projection assumes full staffing and full utilization of the planned drop-in center.

Why it matters: the settlement documents (referred to repeatedly as “Schedule E” or “Exhibit E”) specify categories where municipalities may spend opioid-settlement funds — treatment, prevention, harm reduction, recovery support and remediation — but do not mandate percentages. Committee members debated whether the county’s current distribution, which they said heavily favors harm reduction, matches community needs and the settlement’s intent.

Discussion highlights - Harm reduction vs. other strategies: Several members —…