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Bangor creates opioid settlement advisory committee; residents urge rapid use of funds for treatment and sober living
Summary
The council established a special opioid settlement funds advisory committee to advise on use of the city's settlement money. Residents and recovery providers urged the council to prioritize immediate, actionable disbursements to support sober living and treatment access.
The Bangor City Council on April 28, 2025, approved Order 25-147 to establish an Opioid Settlement Funds Advisory Committee to advise the council on the use of the city's opioid settlement funds in a transparent, fair and equitable manner.
Council materials state the committee will guide the city’s fiduciary decisions and recommend uses of settlement proceeds intended to address harms from the opioid epidemic. The order was reviewed and recommended by the Government Operations Committee on April 7, 2025, and discussed at a council workshop on April 23, 2025.
Multiple public speakers urged the council to move quickly to distribute funds to treatment, sober living and support services. Scott Verde, a Bangor resident, congratulated the council for creating the committee but warned that extra procedural steps might delay distributions, saying he hoped the council would set clear timelines so funds reach people in need. “Speed is paramount,” Verde said.
Tyler Shanahan, a member of the recovery community and employee at FreshStart sober living, described barriers prospective residents face, saying many people lack funding to enter sober living after detox or incarceration. Shanahan said roughly 30% of FreshStart’s residents arrive from the street and another 35% from incarceration and argued that helping people access sober housing is in itself preventive: “If we use this money to help people to get into sober living, that can also be preventative.” Justin Cartier, another resident, suggested committee membership include individuals with on-the-ground recovery experience.
Council members said the order authorizes the committee to develop both long-term plans and immediate, actionable recommendations. Councilor Guy noted the ordinance language charges the committee to present urgent recommendations as needs are identified so funds can be dispersed without waiting for a single final report.
No specific allocations were approved at the meeting; councilors emphasized the committee will advise the council and that the council retains final approval of any expenditures. Speakers and councilors discussed the importance of expediting funds but did not set a deadline for committee recommendations during the meeting.
The council recorded the order as adopted during the April 28 meeting.
