Putnam County commission joins state opioid settlement; public speaker urges funds for unhoused case management

Putnam County commissioners voted to join an amended Tennessee state subdivision opioid abatement agreement and approve related settlement agreements, and a public commenter urged the county to use abatement funds to help people experiencing homelessness.

The move came after the planning committee recommended approval. "Item number 1 on planning recommends approval of a resolution authorizing Putnam County to join the state of Tennessee and other local governments in amending the Tennessee state subdivision opioid abatement agreement and approving the related settlement agreements," a county representative told the commission before moving the measure. The commission approved the motion by voice vote.

In the public-comment period before the vote, Stacy Schultz said she supported the amendment and urged using the funds to serve the unhoused. "I support the resolution to amend the Opioid Abatement Act grama, and I ask that you consider utilizing those funds to support the unhoused," Schultz said. She told commissioners "the Tennessee Department of Health estimates that there are approximately 90, 95 unhoused people in Putnam County," and said one of those people is her brother.

Schultz described barriers that she said impede people seeking services: requirements for two pieces of mail to obtain a government-issued ID, employers’ requirements for bank accounts that in turn often require an address and ID, and limited community-based navigation for nonveterans. "We need our government to demonstrate that by utilizing opioid abatement funds for a case manager to connect homeless with their drug treatment, mental health, health services, or with something as basic as getting their ID," Schultz said.

The resolution approved at the meeting authorizes the county to join the state and other local governments in amending the opioid-abatement agreement and to approve settlement documents; the motion passed with no recorded roll-call dissent.

The transcript and motions did not specify how the county plans to allocate any future abatement funds or whether the commission has already identified a provider or budget for a case manager. Commissioners did not adopt a specific spending plan during the meeting.

Separately, the planning committee also advanced routine items that evening, including equipment sales and transfers for emergency services and other administrative matters.