Seward County awards opioid settlement funds to Cimarron Basin/JCAPS over Stepping Stones bid

The Seward County Board of County Commissioners voted to award $116,481.51 in opioid settlement funds to a joint application from Cimarron Basin Community Corrections and Juvenile Corrections and Prevention Services (JCAPS). The motion by Commissioner Carr, seconded by Commissioner Stanton, passed 4–1.

Stepping Stones Shelter and the Cimarron Basin/JCAPS team both presented proposals during the meeting. Lindsay Bennett, developmental director for Stepping Stones Shelter, said, “Every resident we work with is in recovery, whether from addiction, trauma, mental health challenges, or a combination of these.” Bennett asked the commission to keep the settlement dollars local: “If not allocated locally, those funds will be directed by the state without the benefit of knowing our community the way we do.”

Representatives from Cimarron Basin Community Corrections and JCAPS described plans focused on prevention, linkage to care, and continuity of services between juvenile and adult systems. Chelsea Jossy, identified as JCAPS director, outlined prevention work for youth including cognitive behavioral therapy workbooks and family-engagement supports and said the agencies currently refer clients to neighboring cities because local provider capacity is limited.

Commission discussion focused on the short-term nature of the settlement funds and how the one-time money should be used. County staff reminded commissioners the settlement payments arrive annually and taper over time; commissioners asked whether the requested uses were start-up/one-time items as the RFP directed. A county staff member told the commission the RFP prioritized one-time or start-up costs because the funding was short-term and would “trickle down” over a multi-year distribution.

Some commissioners said they preferred funding ongoing behavioral-health operations; one commissioner recommended supporting Cimarron Basin’s largely ongoing work because the pool of funds was limited. Another commissioner suggested splitting funds between the two applicants but the majority voted to award the full amount to Cimarron Basin/JCAPS. The clerk recorded the outcome as “4 to 1 passes.”

The award will be subject to memorandum(s) of understanding with recipients to define deliverables and allowable uses of the funds, and county staff said they would prepare any necessary documentation prior to disbursement.