Greer council approves opioid settlement funding for local treatment services; takes first-step votes on rezoning and street acceptances, reappoints members and

The Greer City Council on a unanimous vote approved distribution of local opioid-settlement funds to support medication-assisted treatment and outreach operated by the Forrester Center for Behavioral Health, and took first-reading and appointment actions on several other items including a residential rezoning request and acceptance of neighborhood streets into the city system.

City officials said the award draws from the state—s share of national opioid litigation settlements and will prioritize locally vetted treatment and outreach services. Assistant City Administrator Katrina Woodruff told council the city is slated to receive $2,500,000 over an 18-year period under the South Carolina settlement framework and that $798,000 is currently allocated to Greer through the guaranteed political-subdivision (GPS) subfund. She said about $291,000 of the GPS allocation will roll into the discretionary subfund at the end of 2025 if it is not expended.

Audrey Collin, director of outreach and recovery services for the Forrester Center for Behavioral Health, described the center—s work in Greer and asked council to approve the center—s technical proposal to use settlement funds for medication-assisted treatment, outreach and related recovery services centered at the Indigo Hope Neighborhood Impact Center. "We run around 45 people on active caseload list, but we have served way more than that," Collin said, describing outreach that began at a local soup kitchen and expanded into more…